The Ghost of Smokey Joe
by King in Yellow
Summary: Newlyweds Judy and Nick return to Zootopia, hoping to keep their marriage quiet. It should be easy, a mysterious killer commands the media's attention. The rabbit and fox are relieved the case of the ghost killer isn't their assignment – until the wrong animal is arrested for the crime and the dynamic duo spring into action once again. Another entry in the Who Do You Trust? series.
1. The Ghost of Smokey Joe

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Chapter titles should be Cab Calloway songs which mention Smokey Joe. Story set immediately after Busman's Honeymoon and before Sleep Is for the Weak.

**The Ghost of Smokey Joe**

"I still say we should only pay for one ticket if you plan to sit on my lap the whole way," Nick argued as the train from Plainview took them back to Zootopia from their working honeymoon in Fox Ridge.

"I fear I must agree with the conductor, we are both riding."

"Yes, but I take only one seat on the train, and you–"

"They should charge extra for my ticket," Judy giggled and snuggled a little closer with her new husband. "I have the best place to sit on the train."

"And we won't share that thought with the conductor, he might take you up on it. Did you notice the way he scowled when I suggested one ticket should do for the two of us?"

"I've never seen a train conductor with a sense of humor. Perhaps when you take personality tests to see what job would be best for your abilities they tell animals without a sense of humor they should consider becoming a conductor."

"No, I think it's stripped away from them by the job. So, here I was, trying to add a ray of levity to his dull, gray existence and–"

"Perhaps it's passengers trying to be funny who strip away their sense of humor?"

"Uuummm... There's a depressing thought. I'd like to believe my wit is always appreciated."

"We'll discuss that another time. Did I tell you I decided on a wedding gift to give you?"

"I don't think so... Was it something I wanted to repress from my memory?"

Judy rolled her eyes. "I'm going to buy you a cappuccino machine!"

"I have a cappuccino machine."

"A good one, better than that one in your apartment. I saw how you enjoyed working on that old machine at the drugstore and–"

"You're calling this a gift for me, but I'm suspecting it's a gift for you."

"How can you say that?"

"Do you plan on making your own cappuccinos, or have me make them for you?"

"You make them so well! And you enjoy it."

"That's what I thought. Your gift to me is a personal barista for you."

* * *

Ben Clawhauser fidgeted at his station when then entered the First on their return, clearly having trouble restraining himself from offering congratulations. "Alces wants to see you."

"He doesn't know, does he?" whispered Judy.

The cheetah shrugged. Official police policy stated married officers could not serve as partners. The chief of detectives had warned them he didn't want to hear about them getting married until after the policy changed.

The moose greeted them with, "Hopps! I've seen the initial draft of your report. Good work."

"Thank you."

"Wilde?"

"Yes?"

"You took her home so you could spend a week with your mom? There isn't a romantic bone in your body is there?"

"She'd just had lead on one of the biggest crime busts in history and I should take her someplace romantic to distract her from the job of writing up the report? I'm a dedicated public servant and took her to the most boring place I could imagine so nothing could keep her from her work – and she ended up coaching a football team to a regional championship. It's not my fault she's a workaholic and doesn't know how to relax!"

"Get out of here, you two," laughed the moose. "I'll try to keep you away from anything big for awhile."

"Think he knows?" Nick whispered as they left Alces office.

"I don't know. But taking me to your mom's place for a honeymoon? It certainly sounds unromantical."

True to his word, Nick and Judy spent the afternoon on a stolen bicycle case. Not an organized gang of bike thieves. The bike had not been used to smuggle anything of value. But it meant a lot to the nine-year old llama who had carelessly left it on the front lawn when called in to lunch.

"Will your mom be as happy as mine?" Nick asked as they canvassed the neighborhood for possible witnesses to the crime, or anyone who could remember seeing a different child riding the bike.

"About us getting married? I think she's–"

"That we're doing something utterly safe and boring. Remember, my mom was worried about the dangers we face each day."

They finally located the stolen bike, and let the eight year old perp off with a warning not to take things that didn't belong to her, which they delivered in front of her mother, who they 'deputized' with the authority to monitor her daughter's 'terms of probation'.

"We'll be at the station maybe fifteen minutes before our shift ends," Judy remarked as they rode back to the station. Maybe we'll slip out ten minutes early to start moving stuff from your apartment to our place."

Nick shook his head in disbelief, "What is the world coming to? Judy Hopps suggesting leaving early? I figure she'll need to stay late to write up the hot bike caper."

"You're writing it up, and if it takes you more than five minutes I'll accuse you of growing tired of me."

They didn't leave early. Alces ordered all detectives to stay a few minutes longer at the end of their shift to receive a lecture with the next shift of detectives, scolding two birds with one stone. "All right, who's heard about the old ammunition?"

Judy looked at Nick, who looked as lost as she felt. A few detectives raised their paws. When questioned where they'd heard the story they reported listening to a talk radio program. They were warned to spend less working time listening to garbage.

"You're all officers at the First. You're the best and brightest. And I assume you know not to release details of an on-going investigation to anyone in media. Hell, hopefully you don't release details to anyone, period. If the captain at the Fourth finds out who opened up his or her mouth there may be a former detective pounding the pavement on foot patrol."

"Want to tell us what the old ammunition question was about," requested Hightower. "Or should we just listen to the radio after we get home?"

"No! I..." The exasperated moose threw up his arms. "What does it matter now? Given the rumors that have started you deserve the straight dope. I assume you heard of the murder a couple nights ago in the Fourth, the one with the distorted video tape of the suspect?" All heads nodded yes. "A weird angle or two. The manufacturer of the company making the ammunition in the killing has been out of business for twenty years. They stopped making the brand of shell casings at least fifty years ago."

"Why did–"

"Speculate on your own time. Those are the facts."

"And some weird money on the body?" called someone in the back of the room. "That was mentioned."

"There was a medallion of some sort. It may have been a lucky piece that has nothing to do with the case. It's been identified as a challenge coin or medal – pick whatever term you want. It appears slightly tarnished with a recent deep scratch. So far the company that manufactured it has not been identified, or for whom it was made."

* * *

"Old ammunition?" asked Judy as the two drove home. "That should make it easy to identify the killer."

"Well, if you bought it at an auction of old ammo last week, maybe," Nick replied. "But if you found it in the garage or attic among your grandparent's stuff, or got it when you were cleaning out some storage locker it would be completely untraceable."

"True," Judy conceded. "Although if you find a suspect with a box of old ammunition in his pocket you've struck gold. Any idea what a challenge medal is?"

"No clue. Want to check it out?"

Judy found a short answer on-line. "Some organizations, businesses, or clubs make them for members. Sometimes they commemorate something. Sometimes they're a proof of membership."

"What's the challenge thing?"

"Apparently if you're a member, and your identity is questioned or something, you can prove it by showing the coin, or buy a round of drinks for everyone to say you're sorry for not having ID on you."

* * *

Lylah Nyte was waiting near their desks when Nick and Judy arrived in the next morning. "You dance, right?" she demanded.

"Judy and I–" Nick started.

"Just talking to the rabbit."

Judy looked puzzled. "Yes," she answered slowly. "What–"

"George and I were going to do a civil ceremony, but he's getting family pressure for a traditional panther wedding. I need a friend of the bride."

"I'd be honored, if you're asking me. Why ask about the dancing?"

"Of course I'm asking you. You introduced us, and... Anyway, a lot of choreography at a traditional panther wedding."

"I don't know the–"

"I don't either. Rehearsal next Tuesday, if you can make it. Can you? George will take us out for dinner afterwards. You can bring the fox."

Judy looked at Nick. Nick had the good sense to only ask, "What time?"

"Six?" Lylah suggested.

"Works for us," Judy assured her.

"And I have a name, you know," Nick reminded the panther.

"Yeah, but I try not to use my name for you in front of your wife here," Nyte told him. She then winked at Judy, "Congratulations you two."

The migration of Nick's belongings, other than his extensive record collection, from his old apartment required a few nights. It was mostly clothing. It had been settled that Ernest Hunter would sublet the apartment after graduating from the police academy, and Nick gave Ernie a break on rent for keeping the records safe.

Equipping the kitchen had been a priority for Judy in her apartment, and Nick left his old kitchenware for the weasel. On the other hand, Judy had given less attention to new furniture and some of Nick's furniture relocated. Nick's friend Truckie borrowed a delivery van and he and Eric helped Nick carry and load on Thursday evening.

When they arrived home on Friday evening there was a sticky note on the door from the apartment owner, Mrs. Riverbank. "Judy, package for you."

The rabbit clapped her paws and hurried off, leaving Nick to unlock the apartment. Judy was back several minutes later, struggling with a huge box. "It didn't look this big when I ordered it on-line."

"Could just be the box, but let that be a lesson to you of the importance of seeing things in a real store."

"Look in real stores and then order on-line?" asked Judy as Nick took the box. "In the kitchen, it's for you."

"If you don't support real stores they'll close and then you'll be in the clutches of on-line retailers. The cappuccino machine for you?"

"I told you, it's for you. But you can use me as a test subject for the first cup, if you want."

"If I want, meaning if I know what's good for me?"

"Something like that."

"Tomorrow morning. Do you have dark roast whole beans? Grinder? Cappuccino cups?"

"I, uh... Have you considered a wedding gift for you wife? I have a couple suggestions. The stores are still open."


	2. Zaz Zuh Zaz

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Cab Calloway mentions Smokey Joe in several songs. Zaz Zuh Zaz dates to 1933.

_Now, zaz-zuh-zaz was handed down_  
_From a bloke down in Chinatown;_  
_It seems his name was Smokey Joe,  
And he used to hi-de-hi-de-ho._

**Zaz Zuh Zaz**

The second victim of the ghostly killer was a graduate student at Zootopia University. He lived in a cheap off-campus apartment a couple miles from Zoo U. He had been out with friends and was returning home after one o'clock in the morning. The shots woke several people in the apartment buildings that lined the street of the murder. A rabbit, also a grad student at the university, claimed to have gotten to a window in time to see a shadowy figure bending over the body of the victim, but it was too dark to even identify the species of the killer.

The first victim had been an opossum. The second victim an otter. While the murder was not committed within the Fourth, the fact it appeared related meant the crime was handed to the detectives covering the first killing.

Once again, video images picked up a strange figure in the area of the area at the time the killing took place. Once again the shell casings at the crime scene were old, even if still effective. A second challenge medal of similar design was found with the body, this one with two recent scratches marring the surface.

The pewter piece had been identified in the prior week by a collector as one given to members of a short mob some half a century before. The gang had been led by an animal of unknown species called Smokey Joe. The detectives at the Fourth discovered the father of the first victim, a stock broker, had belonged to the gang. As a result the detectives on the case had dismissed the importance of the challenge coin as a lucky piece the victim had inherited from his father and irrelevant to the killing. They were able to determine the second victim, a graduate student in physics at Zootopia University, was a grandchild of a member of the long defunct mob. However, the presence of the coin and the second scratch on its surface suddenly seemed relevant.

The media loved the story.

The Baseless Conspiracy Network (formerly known as the History Channel) ran various specials, each of which identified Smokey Joe as a different species.

One radio station peddled the idea that an old mobster, a member of some rival gang, had recently been released from prison and wanted to eliminate those associated with Joe's mob. The fact records showed no such release didn't stop the theory.

The most spectacular idea was that Joe had been eliminated by rivals in his own mob, and was now back from the grave for revenge. While no animal would actually say on air that he or she believed in ghosts the theory still led to the killer being dubbed the Ghost of Smokey Joe.

* * *

Nick watched as Judy and the other three members of the wedding party practiced the traditional panther wedding dance on Tuesday evening. The fox didn't deliberately eavesdrop on the nearby panther couple during the rehearsal, but the two were not quiet in their comments. George's parents, the couple, were less than thrilled at their son marrying an older female and shocked that a rabbit would not only attend but had a role to play in the ceremony. The mother glanced around and noticed Nick. "There is even a fox here!" she told her husband. "Surely George wouldn't have invited a fox."

Nick pretended to be a custodian, checking for any rubbish left by the last group to use the hall. He slowly moved away, checking under chairs for litter.

_"Wonder what Stu and Bonnie really think of me marrying Judy?"_ Nick thought. _"Can't be that bad."_ While he and Detective Nyte didn't get along well he respected her, and felt sympathetic.

Most of their week at the First was taken with a hit-and-run. A wolf fishing in a river had seen a vehicle matching the description of the car going into the river. It was easy to establish it was the vehicle the rabbit and fox were looking for. The owner insisted the car had been stolen, and proving he was lying required several days.

Judy and Nick enjoyed a low stress weekend. She played football on Saturday. They went out for pizza with Judy's raccoon friend Hye and her male friend Tom after the game.

Before they had left the apartment for the football game Judy had asked, "You remember what I said?"

"You mean my orders? I'm to tell Tom how wonderful it is to be married to the sweetest female on the planet? Will that work? I mean, if I'm married to the most wonderful female there is, why should he–"

Judy sighed, "No, you don't remember what I said. A suggestion! I gave you a suggestion! Hye thinks Tom seems skittish about marriage and needs reassurance that marriage is wonderful. You do think marriage is wonderful, right?"

"And, 'I'll get back to you on that', is the wrong answer, right?"

"Only if you ever want sex again, ever."

After returning home Nick told Judy, "Tom claims he wants Hye to marry him, he just doesn't know how to ask."

"How could any male be that stupid?"

"We are dealing with Tom here."

"What did you tell him?"

"I had it on very good authority that Hye wants to marry him, and it really didn't matter how he asks – he just needs to do it. Then he said something about what if he got the wrong ring, and I said buy the ring after she says yes. Then she'll get one she likes, after all a wife tells a husband what to do for the rest of his life."

Judy groaned, "You didn't."

"Of course not... Well, I did tell him to ask first. You don't have to have the ring at the time of the proposal."

"Perfect. Do you want your reward now or later?"

"What's my reward?"

"Whatever you want. I don't want to tell my big, strong husband what to do for the rest of his life."

"Anything?" Nick leered.

Judy suddenly felt nervous, "That's, ah, what I said. What are you..."

"Haven't decided yet," Nick told her, taking her in his arms and kissing her. "I've got to be careful or you'll never give me another offer like that."

It was a rare Sunday when Mirage didn't have an exhibition in the afternoon. The feline gave Judy a lesson on one pool table while Nick and Finnick played on another.

"Your game is improving," Nick said as he pulled a ten from his wallet for the fennec.

"Yeah, learning stuff while I'm working for the slave driver."

"You told Judy your debt will be paid in a couple months?"

"Yep. It'll feel good to be a free animal again."

"Any idea what you'll do?"

"Nah... Still deciding. Might work for the slave driver awhile longer – just 'til I get my shit together."

* * *

The rabbit and fox enjoyed another low stress week of work: two convenience store robberies, a mugging, and a domestic violence accusation. Incredibly stressful for the animals in the events. Routine and relatively stress free for the detectives.

A low stress week followed by stressful weekend. Judy played as much football as time allowed, but left early for a fast shower before putting on the rabbit-sized version of the flowing blue dress worn by the female friend in the traditional panther wedding ritual.

The next afternoon there were a large number of guests to see Ernie graduate from the Police Academy. The Bunnyburrow contingent consisted of the weasel's mother and three friends: a pair of rabbit twins, the Lumpkin brothers, and a slightly older cousin named Frank. Judy's sister Susan, who had gone to high school with Ernie, stood with the Bunnyburrow visitors. The detectives who had worked the wilde case with Judy all attended. Gina and her family stood by Nick to watch the ceremony, occasionally glancing daggers at Iris, who stood by Judy.

For being in the middle of his class Ernie received an unusual amount of attention. He had done very well in the academic portions of the program, and barely passing scores in the physical requirements. When the program was expanded to bring in small animals the changes might make it easier for shorts to display their skill sets as well, but Ernie graduated under the same curriculum Judy experienced.

"I don't believe Zootopia Police Academy has ever before given a commendation for bravery in the line of duty to an officer at a graduation ceremony," the goat who headed the Academy told the audience. "And here to present the award is Detective Lylah Nyte."

"Bagheera," she corrected him as she moved to the microphone. "It's now Lylah Bagheera."

"Congratulations, Missus Bagheera," Ernie told her.

She grinned at the weasel, "Thank you. Just married last night, but I wouldn't have missed this."

She praised the weasel for his role in the wilde case to degree that embarrassed Ernie. She told the audience Ernie had saved her life.

Ernie took his turn at the microphone, he corrected Lylah – saying she had saved his life, and thanked every detective on the team – especially Nick and Detective Kane for coaching him; and Susan, Iris, and Gina for helping him in the role of college student.

Nick, who felt guilty for having placed Ernie in a dangerous situation, had suggested to Judy they treat Ernie and his Bunnyburrow friends, including Susan, to dinner. He'd suggested Tony's as a good place for dinner – which, of course, meant Gina was invited. Nick thought Gina and Ernie made a good couple.

Judy felt some guilt for allowing Ernie to continue in an undercover role, and gratitude for how the weasel had helped expose the gang. She agreed with Nick that they should pay for a dinner for Ernie's mother and friends. She made sure Iris was invited. Judy felt the first year student at Zoo U and Ernie made a good couple.

Tony, who looked on Ernie as a good match for his daughter Gina, had been delighted with the suggestion, and Judy and Nick had to argue with him to let them pay.

Gina was of the opinion that Frank was a good looking weasel, and it would be nice if Iris fell in love with him and moved to Bunnyburrow. Iris was of the opinion that Gina might be happy with Frank in Bunnyburrow – leaving her in Zootopia with Ernie.

After the ceremony the media wanted pictures of Ernie with Lylah. As the photographer got ready to take the photos a skunk darted out, threw her arms around Ernie and gave him a kiss – then informed the media she was Ernie's female friend.

The camera animals asked her to get out of the picture.

"Who's that?" whispered the panther.

"Her name is Cheryl Flowers... She asked me out for coffee and... She said Judy gave her my number... I, uh, think she may be crazy."

Lylah made a mental note to ask Judy what the rabbit had been thinking.

Iris and Gina held one idea in common. Stuffing the skunk in a burlap bag, tying it shut, and dropping her off a bridge into the deepest channel in a river seemed like a good idea.

The mystery killer made no appearance that weekend. The Fourth precinct detectives in charge of the case worked on establishing any sort of connection between the two victims other than the obvious link of a gang that had broken up long before.

While the ghost killer kept a low profile, Tuesday afternoon Nick and Judy were handed a nasty triple homicide, a mother and two children.

Nick closed his eyes and sighed before starting the car to verify an alibi, "This one's really ugly, Carrots."

Judy nodded glumly, "Yeah. I mean, usually you look at a husband as the prime suspect... He really... I don't think that was acting. And questioning a husband and father after he's just lost his wife and kids with what we just asked? I feel like a monster."

"That's what I mean. Lose your family and then have the police interrogate you like you did it?"

"Well, it will be easy to prove he didn't kill them if he was at work, and I'm betting he was."

"But then we need to look and see if he hired someone to... Don't think he did. Some former male friend or jealous co-worker most likely. Maybe a burglary gone wrong. I'd love to wrap this one up fast. Don't know if it will give him any peace of mind, but I know I'll feel a lot better.

It was still not solved on Thursday evening when Malus Kane, a detective from the Fourth who had worked on the wilde case, came to the apartment for a home cooked meal and to report on Ernie.

"How's he doing?" asked Judy. "What sort of assignment did he get?"

"Assigned to work patrol with an old officer. Oak's partner retired a month or so ago. I think Oak's up for retirement next year. They're an odd couple."

"More than Judy and me?"

"A giraffe and a weasel."

"Oak is a giraffe? How... That sounds crazy."

The wolf shrugged. "Oak is a good officer, but he sometimes misses details – just too tall to see things. That was Ernie's best work at the Academy. Oak has the patience and experience to be a good mentor. Meanwhile, if anyone want to laugh at a giraffe working with a weasel, I'm letting it be known around the Fourth that Able and I are tight with the weasel. Anyone who wants to laugh won't do it where we'll hear about it."

"What do you hear about the Smokey Joe case?" Nick asked.

"As a detective of the Fourth talking to a detective from the First or as a friend?"

"Let me guess, official Fourth party-line is progress is being made and you follow that up with animals of interest are being investigated or you hope to have a suspect soon."

"Right."

"And the real scoop?"

"Jonathan and David are in over their heads. Not sure if it's their fault or all the crazy angles on that case. Glad Able and I didn't catch it. Would you want it on your plate?"

"No way," Nick agreed. "Can't speak for the rabbit though. Judy loves a challenge."

"Yeah, I hear she even caught a fox. A bunny like that is capable of anything."

Judy wondered what the wolf had meant by 'caught'. If he meant their recent marriage it showed the knowledge was more public than she and Nick wanted.

The third victim of the ghostly killer was a middle-aged raccoon, who worked in the stock room of a large department store. Some who worked under him complained he paid too much attention to the length of their breaks, but that was the worst anyone had to say. In the previous few weeks he had mentioned to a few animals that his father had been a member of the Smokey Joe mob, but had expressed no fear for his own safety – laughing at the idea he might be a possible target.

Some nervous animals began wondering what their parents and grandparents might have doing sixty years earlier.

Nick and Judy managed a limited breakthrough on the triple homicide the next week. A couple hairs gathered at the crime scene did not match any family members or friends. The DNA of the hairs matched an unidentified lynx burglar, wanted for two other crimes, one of which included a brutal assault on an elderly female.

"Failed burglary?"

"How it looks. Now we have to wait for the guy to slip up someway."

"I don't want to wait, Nick. We need to find this guy before he hurts or kills anyone else."

* * *

Nick had the radio on for overnight news as he prepared oatmeal for breakfast. The weather was exactly what one might expect for that date, and the traffic jams were in the same exact spots as they were every day this time in the morning commute. Turning on the news was routine in the morning. No one expected to hear anything wildly unusual.

"And, in the morning's top story, the ZPD has announced an arrest in the so-called Smokey Joe murders. Duke Weaselton, who was associated with Dawn Bellwether's Night Howler Conspiracy, was arrested late last night. Weaselton turned state's evidence in Bellwether's prosecution and was free on probation. And now, Sports with Chet Obvious."


	3. Jerry the Junker

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Other artists performed songs which mentioned Cab Calloway's characters. For example, Clarence Williams in 1934

_You heard about Minnie the Moocher_  
_and about Smokey Joe,_  
_Well, gather 'round me while i tell ya' 'bout a boy you should know_

**Jerry the Junker**

"They arrested Duke!" Nick shouted.

"Can't hear you while I'm in the shower," called Judy.

Nick opened the bathroom door.

"It doesn't get us to work faster when we shower together," Judy reminded him.

"They arrested Duke!"

"What did he do this time?"

"He was arrested for the Smokey Joe murders."

Judy turned off the water, "It sounded like you said they arrested him for murder."

"That's because it's what I said."

"You've got to be joking."

"Wish I was."

"That's crazy! Duke is twenty-seven kinds of crooked, but he's not a killer."

"I'm going to ask if we can work it."

"No, you're not."

"I certainly will."

"Let me rephrase. A, we've got a real murderer to find. B, we don't know what kind of evidence they have on Duke. And, C, detectives from the Fourth had the case. The ZPD is not going to assign detectives from the First to proved detectives from the Fourth wrong."

"Well they should. You heard Malus, the detectives on the case were over their heads. Why they picked Duke for a patsy I don't know. But I know Duke is not a murderer. I'm going to ask for this."

"Hand me a towel, please," requested Judy. "You can ask. I'm warning you, we won't get it."

"I can be very persuasive. I hope you left me some hot water. Or is it just you who's hot in here?"

"Maybe looking at me naked makes you hot."

Ben told them the chief of detectives wanted to see them when they arrived.

Alces didn't ask them to sit. It meant he expected a short conversation. "Good work on the triple murder. Type it up and get the final report to me this morning."

"I can't do a final report," Judy answered. "We haven't found the killer."

"You have the DNA. You've linked him to other crimes. There's no suspect to get DNA from for a test. This one stays open, but until there is a suspect I think you can work something else."

"I want to get him," argued Judy. "He's a killer. I don't want to handle his next crime when he's killed someone else. You saw the pictures of the crime scene."

The moose looked down on the file folder on his desk. There seemed no way to find the lynx whose DNA was found at the crime scene. He would need Nick and Judy for other investigations. He tapped nervously on the desk for a moment, remembering the photos of the crime scene. "Nail the bastard. I'll give you a week to come up with a suspect. No suspect and I give you other work."

"Thanks," Judy told him.

"And I have a request," added Nick.

"What?"

"I'd like to be assigned the Smokey Joe case."

Alces looked puzzled. "The Fourth is handling that– Handled that. Didn't you hear they made an arrest?"

"Yeah, Duke Weaselton. Duke is a low-life, but he's no killer. The wrong animal is in jail."

"They had evidence that–"

"It couldn't be enough. I'm not a friend to Duke, but no animal should be railroaded for a crime he–"

"Railroaded? That's a serious accusation. You really–"

"Okay, maybe not railroaded. But they've got the wrong animal! I want to show he's not a killer."

"Job description for ZPD officers is not proving animals innocent, it's finding the guilty. It'll be the job of his defense attorney to show he's innocent."

"It shouldn't be the job of an innocent animal to prove he's innocent," muttered Nick.

"Look, I want to see justice done," insisted Alces. "But your job is investigating crime and–"

"There's a murderer out there, and the police aren't looking for him!"

"I've got no time for this. Help Hopps find the lynx."

"Could you at least get a copy of the report for me to look at?"

The moose hesitated a moment, then shrugged. He looked at Judy, "You mind if he wastes time reading the report on Weaselton?"

"I think Duke is... Okay, he's not innocent. But he's not a murderer. I'm curious why they think he's a killer. Nick can read it. My priority is the lynx."

"Good. Wilde?"

"Yes?"

"I'll expedite a copy of the report to you. But you belong to the First, and you won't do work for the Fourth on our time."

Nick said nothing, keeping his anger in check as she followed Judy back to their desks.

"What's our next step?" Judy asked once seated.

"Not sure. But Duke–"

"Finding the lynx, remember? That's our assignment. It'll be weeks, maybe months before Duke comes to trial. Hopefully the case will collapse before–"

"But he's in jail!"

"Which he probably deserves for a lot of stuff he's pulled. But our job is to find a killer. I'm serious, Nick. You saw what he did to that family. Alces gave us a week to come up with a suspect. Where do we start? I've got an idea."

"Sorry, Fluff. I'll try to get my mind back on the lynx. What's your idea?"

"We've got the DNA profile of the suspect. We know the killer isn't in the police data base. Some of the ancestry places can check for relatives. Maybe if we can find a brother or sister or some other close relative we can get a suspect."

"Worth checking. City has only done mandatory DNA profiles of animals charged with felonies for less that ten years. We're dealing with someone really nasty here. Look for lynxes committing felonies before then. Look for lynxes who spent time in juvie. Look for lynxes who've been charged with things other than felonies. I'm going to guess the suspect is on the list."

"Sounds good too. Want to start that while I run the DNA data around?"

"Um... Let me hit the DNA companies. You start pulling files. There's a chance when Duke's file comes I might be tempted to stop work and read it. Might be safer to have me outside the office."

"Umm," purred Judy. "I should be the only thing tempting my big, strong fox."

While Nick took the DNA data to the two companies that offered to find relatives Judy started to pull files on lynxes with criminal records dating from before mandatory testing of felony suspects. She sorted them into three piles based on her guesses about probability: high to low.

The Smokey Joe file hit Nick's desk before eleven. Nick still wasn't back. Judy was too intent on her own work to take a look at the evidence. She briefly considered calling Nick to tell him it had arrived, then remembered he was trying to avoid any temptation but her. She promised herself to reward him for being a good fox that night... Maybe reward both of them.

It was after three when an unhappy Nick Wilde returned to the First.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, as in the DNA search produced nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing worth pursuing. Our killer's DNA shows he is related to more than eighty-five percent of the lynxes in Zootopia, but nothing's closer than a third cousin."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, so nothing to cross-reference with... Here's a thought. I don't know how many potential suspects you've found..."

"Almost thirty."

"Well, if we can't use DNA to point at any one of them, maybe we can use DNA to clear some of them from the list." Judy looked puzzled. "If they've done a DNA test for Ancestors dot Com, or Genome dot Inc., we can eliminate them as suspects. Might drop a few names from your list."

"I think it would take a court order, it would look too much like fishing for suspects."

"I spent the day fishing for suspects. This is trying to eliminate innocent animals from investigation. Show a judge the crime scene photos and we'll get the court order for names of animals tested in the data base."

"And if he sent in a DNA sample from some other lynx and claimed he was the sender?"

"You really think he's that bright? Let's say you've got thirty potential suspects and let's imagine ten of them have been tested. Odds are the twenty remaining animals are way more likely than those we eliminate early. And if none of the them pan out then we start looking for a genius among the ten."

"You really think one third of the lynxes in Zootopia have had their DNA charted?"

"No, but if there's even two it will be two less we need to look at."

They spent the rest of their shift looking through the records Judy had pulled. Court orders and cross-checking against the DNA to eliminate potential suspects would wait until the next day. They debated Judy's placement of several potential suspects, with Nick usually accepting Judy's reasoning. He argued hard that one animal who had spent time in juvenile detention for violent acts as a young teenager, but had an unblemished record for the last twenty years should have been lower.

Judy glanced at the clock, "Two minutes and we can go home." She winked at him. "I may test how good you are at not giving in to temptation. Remember that little negligee you bought me?"

"How can I forget? Uh, Carrots? Can we stop by the jail first?"

"Jail? To see Duke?"

"Yep."

"You heard Alces say it isn't our assignment. Let his defense lawyer..." Judy sighed. "He's innocent. I'm proud of you for wanting to clear his name. Will it be enough for me to stay out front while you go back, or do you want me to go back with you and pretend to be nice? He may not be a killer, but you know I don't like him."

"Not asking you to like him. I just want an innocent animal, sitting in jail for a crime he didn't commit, worried about whether he'll be wrongly convicted to know there is one animal in the world who wants to see justice done."

* * *

"You haven't reformed at all, have you," Judy whispered as they were led back to see Duke.

"_Moi?_ I am a member of the ZPD."

"And you fight dirty."

"Whatever meanest thou, Ms Hopps? I would never fight with a fair damsel like thyself."

"Can it, Mister Wilde. You implied I was less than a cockroach if I stayed out front while you came back to see Duke."

"I would never suggest such a thing of the rabbit I love more than life itself. Must be your guilty conscience whispering in your lovely ears." The guard stopped and gestured into a cell. "Duke."

"Come ta gets me out?"

"Don't have the power. Judge should set bail in a day or two, but it'll be high on a murder charge."

"I dids not kill nobody!"

"I know that. Judy knows that, and–"

"An' da bunny haz comes back here ta sees me in da clink and gloat."

"Listen," Judy growled, "Nick shamed me into coming back here. I wanted to stay out front and–"

Nick coughed to get the attention of the pair. "Duke, Judy is here because she thinks you didn't kill anyone. Be glad she's here. Judy, Duke is unaccustomed to anything kind from you, so he–"

"Kind? I'm supposed to be kind to–"

"Kindness never hurt anyone." Judy shut her mouth and resolved to say nothing else while they were in the jail. Nick looked at Duke, "Asked the captain if we could be assigned to this. It was the work of detectives on the Fourth that got you arrested. Captain says not our job to show they did a bad job. Actually," Nick held up a file, "I've got a copy of their report. I plan to look it over tonight. I'm wondering why in the world they thought it made sense to arrest you."

"I iz wonderin' da same ting myself. Youse tink dere iz any chance youse mights be put on da case?"

"Told you, I got a big fat 'no' when I made the request – told me to find criminals instead of trying to show the bulls at the Fourth couldn't find wool on a sheep."

Judy coughed to get his attention. "We aren't supposed to insult other members of the force."

"Even when they've screwed things up royally?"

Judy looked at Duke. "Nick is really upset. I mean, you and I don't like each other, but I know you shouldn't be locked up back here. Nick's angry about it. I don't know what he can do – but I know he wants to help you, and will do whatever he can."

"An' youse? If youse tinks I iz innocent?"

"I'll help any way I can."

"Dat iz someting... Could youse do me a flavor?"

"We aren't allowed to–" began Judy.

"What is it?"

"If youse wouldst calls me ma and gran, tells dem I iz not da killer."

"Sure, Duke. No problem."

Nick slouched in the passenger's seat as Judy drove home. "Calls first or read file first?"

"Calls first. Alces is trusting you with the file, and you might tell his folks more than you should if you read it first."

"Good point. And I can keep the calls short that way too."

"I was going to show you how much I appreciated your focus today, but I think you may be too preoccupied tonight."

The fox hesitated a moment, "Yeah, probably. Sorry."

"I'll make dinner, you make the calls and start reading the report. After dinner you finish reading and your wife, who is very impressed with your concern for justice, will give you a back-rub to relieve your stress – and you'll sleep with your arms around her tonight."

When Judy had finished cleaning after dinner she went and sat by Nick on the couch, "And?"

"You know Duke grandmother was head of the Weaseloni mob after her husband was killed. Did you know the Weaselonis were at war with Smokey Joe's mob?"

"I read there was a lot of gang warfare when Joe disappeared. I don't remember reading the Weaselonis were part of it, but it doesn't surprise me... You're not telling me they think Duke is restarting some old vendetta, are you?"

"I'm not telling you that. The idiots at the Fourth are trying to sell you that."

"And Duke is in jail for that?

"Not entirely. I didn't know Duke carries a Smokey Joe challenge coin. He claims it's a lucky piece and he can't remember where he got it."

"Okay, that's a bit weird."

"What part of the equation is weird? That he has one or says he doesn't remember how he got it? One way to get one fifty or sixty years ago was to take it off a member of Joe's gang after you killed him. There's no statute of limitations on murder and my guess is he doesn't want to say his grandmother gave it to him, or how she got it."

"That would make sense. That still sounds pretty thin for an arrest. It could make him an animal of interest, but–"

"But wait! There's more! Anonymous phone caller claimed to have seen Duke putting something in one of his caches around town. Search found half a box of the old ammunition."

"Which is distinctive."

"Which is _very_ distinctive, and I think was put there by the killer, who was probably our anonymous caller. Duke claims it's a frame."

"But, of course, if he really were the murderer he'd try to claim it was planted. Did they try to trace the anonymous call?"

"They had the smarts to do that. Pay phone at a gas station fairly near the scene."

"They still have pay phones?"

"You've got to look hard, but you can still find them every now and then."

"Surveillance video of the phone?"

"Doesn't mention any in the report. But I'm guessing an animal smart enough to do the killings and shadow Duke to find out where he stashes his DVDs or counterfeit watches found a pay phone with no video monitor."

"It doesn't seem like a very strong case."

"No, but animals have been convicted with less evidence. And the killer, having eliminated the three animals he was after, stops now and the fact the murders stop is seen as more evidence against Duke."

"Any chance Duke has an alibi for the times of the killings?"

"If you weren't sleeping with me, would you have a witness for where you were at any random early hour of the morning? For that matter, I sleep soundly enough you could slip out and shot someone and I wouldn't know it."

"Point taken."

"I've written four or five ideas on how to start finding the real killer. We–"

"No. You're done with Duke for the night. A long stressful day for both of us. Right now we go to the bedroom and I give you that back-rub to show I think you're wonderful. And then you drift off to sleep with your arms around me because you think I'm wonderful. And if you say anything sarcastic right now you're sleeping on the couch tonight."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Nick assured her and gave Judy a kiss. "I'm married to the most wonderful rabbit in the world."

"And don't you forget it."

* * *

Not a single one of the lynxes Judy had identified as potential suspects in the triple murder had taken the DNA ancestry test. Nick shrugged, "Well it would have been nice to eliminate a few."

"We're not done with this angle yet."

"What do you mean?"

"They said no one closer than something like third cousins came up as possible relatives to the killer?"

"Right."

"So, even if none of our potential suspects did the test, a sibling or parent would have shown up, right?"

"Right..." Nick said slowly, "Ah, so if we find close relatives of potential suspects have taken the test we can eliminate a potential."

The combination of celebrity detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde asking for help, and the assurance they were being used to establish innocence rather than guilt made the genetics companies willing to provide help without a court order – although Nick and Judy promised not to publicize the cooperation. Seven of the twenty-eight potential suspects were moved to the pile labeled, "Don't look at again, unless desperate."

Several of the potentials were still on probation, or only recently released from probation, and their workplaces were current in their files. If they were at work on Tuesday it would have been impossible for them to commit the murders.

"Call and ask the supervisors if the lynxes was at work last Tuesday?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because, if they're innocent – and at some of them have to be – we make their supervisor start regarding them as criminal."

"So, Mister Smarty-fox, how do we find out?"

"Give me the information on that first lynx." Nick dialed the phone. "Mister Brown? This is Nick Wilde from the Police Department. ... Yes, that Nick Wilde. ... Thanks, it was really Judy who did the heavy lifting. I'm hoping for a favor, we have an opossum suspect who is trying to use a lynx from your company as an alibi. Any lynxes working there? ... Thanks. Can you tell me if he was on the job Tuesday? ... Sure I can give you a minute to check. ... Great! Thanks. It blows the possum's alibi to pieces! ... Maybe. We'll take a deposition from you and the lynx if we need one. ... No, the pleasure was mine. Thanks again." Nick hung up and grinned at Judy, "And that, Miss Doubting-bunny, is how to eliminate suspects without putting them in hot water on the job."

By the end of the day they were down from twenty-eight potential suspects to seventeen.

Ben directed them to the Captain's office when they entered the next morning.

The moose glared at Nick. "There was a call from a Missus Weaselton this morning, she said she was Duke's mother and claimed you called her last night because Duke asked you to, and you told her you didn't think Duke was guilty." Nick said nothing. "Well?" demanded the moose.

"Well what?"

"You doing to answer that?"

"I didn't know it was a question."

Alces on very rare occasions had a threatening rumble to his voice. Judy and Nick had not heard it often. He managed to get it into a single word, "Wilde!" in such a way it sounded like a threat.

Judy cut in, hoping to defuse the tension, "We're sure Duke is not the killer."

"And the two of you went to the jail yesterday to–"

"How did you know that?" Nick asked.

"I called the jail. I couldn't believe you'd be that stupid!"

"Visiting an innocent animal is stupid?"

"He isn't innocent, he's in jail!"

"I thought it was innocent until proven guilty!"

"We're not arguing semantics!" bellowed the moose. "You've got a job to do, and it's not the weasel!"

"We were on our own time," Judy told him quietly. "Nick is being very conscientious about not letting his concern for Duke interfere with anything here."

Alces, realizing a need to deescalate the tension, asked, "Any progress on the lynx?"

"I think so. You said we had 'til the end of the week to narrow down the list of possible suspects."

"True enough," the moose nodded. "I'll let you get back to it. Wilde?"

"Yes?"

"There is one level on which I can appreciate the fact your heart is in the right place. But as your captain I'm telling you to get your head out of your ass and follow the rules."

As they went to their desks Nick whispered to Judy, "You didn't solve the Night Howler Case by following the rules."

"This is different."

"Is it?"

"We can argue that later. We've got seventeen possible suspects and only a few days to get the list down low enough for Alces to let us keep working it."

The files on some of the possible suspects were years old and didn't have information they wanted. They spent the morning gathering addresses and places of work. By noon they had current information on fifteen of their possible suspects.

They went to a panda restaurant near the First for lunch. "After lunch," began Nick, then stopped as he used chopsticks to get a large bite of noodles and vegetables, "spend time on those last two, or start working the fifteen we have information on?"

Judy, who had grown up without panda restaurants and had never mastered chopsticks, paused in her efforts to spear a large piece of broccoli with one of her sticks. "We don't have much time. Let's work the fifteen."

"Still a lot of animals. I don't know how–"

"You inspired me yesterday."

"I'm not surprised, but I have no idea what you're talking about."

"We go the direct route. Talk with their bosses, like you did. If that doesn't work we talk with them directly, 'Hey, you're on a list of possible suspects for a crime. Give us an iron-clad alibi we can check off and you're off the list.' My guess is that most of them have one."

"Of course, assuming that the killer is on the list, it alerts him to the fact we're... Maybe that's not a bad thing. If he knows we're looking at him he might not be breaking in any more places."

That afternoon, and the next day, they talked with job supervisors, met with one lynx at a bar, and took a lot of lynxes out for a cup of coffee.

"Never thought I'd say this," Nick groaned, "but at the moment I don't want to look another cup of coffee in the face again, ever."

"Courage, Comrade," Judy assured him. "Only one more to go, and you could order tea instead of coffee."

"I'd rather have a millstone tied around my neck and be thrown in the ocean. I'll order coffee."

"You just said you didn't want to look another cup of coffee in the face."

"I'll wear a blindfold while I drink it.

Four supervisors verified that four of the possible suspect were at work at the time of the killings. Five animals offered alibis that seemed strong, and they swore could easily be checked. With the limited time they were given Judy and Nick took them off the working list of suspects for the moment. Three lynxes agreed to furnish DNA samples to eliminate themselves as suspects. Five lynxes could not, or would not, provide information on where they were at the time of the killings or agree to provide the police with a DNA sample. For two of the five, as Nick thanked the lynx for his time and walked outside with him, Judy carefully placed the animal's coffee cup in a plastic bag to be taken to the forensics lab for DNA analysis.

The other three lynxes, on hearing the request for a DNA sample very carefully crushed the paper cup they were using, after finishing their coffee, and put them in a pocket. One, who had used a napkin to wipe up a small spill also made sure to also pocket the napkin.

They stopped at the Forensics lab before heading home. The receptionist on duty, a female rat, looked nervous.

"What's the problem?" asked Judy.

"You're Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde!"

"We already know that," Nick pointed out.

"And the message I was supposed to give you! It just..."

"What was the message?" requested the rabbit.

"I don't think–"

"The message," Nick demanded.

"It's not my message, I'm just repeating it," the pink-eyed female reminded them. "It was, 'Go soak your heads. Give us time to process the samples'. Not my message, I swear!"

To her surprise Nick actually started to laugh. "Vaughn, right?"

"Doctor Wheeler, yes."

"We probably were asking too much," agreed Judy. "But it is important. Did he say when he might have results?"

The rat looked at the note, "He says he may be able to tell you tomorrow, and Nick has to forgive him for one of the times he sandbagged... What does that mean?"

"It means the little weasel in hamster's clothing pulled a couple fast ones on me."

"Nick tries not to talk about it," Judy told the rat. "He finds it embarrassing. Could you call us as soon as the tests are done? It is important."

"I'll call the minute the results are in," the rat promised, thrilled to do something the team of Hopps and Wilde considered important.


	4. Kickin' the Gong Around

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

_When a knock came on the door,_  
_And there stood old Smokey Joe._

**Kickin' the Gong Around**

Nick and Judy waited nervously for the call from the Forensics Lab the next day. Judy spent her time in a fruitless effort to gather information on the two lynxes for whom they had failed to gather any current information. Nick made calls to verify the five alibis they had been given, with promises they were iron-clad, actually checked out. At least superficially they did.

A little after one the call came from Forensics.

"Yes?" Judy asked, excited by the call. "What did you find?"

"The three animals who voluntarily provided samples?"

"Yes?"

"No evidence any of them are connected with any criminal activity."

"And the two we brought in the coffee cups for? What about them?"

"We sent results on one of them to the Second. DNA was associated with a grand theft, auto, case. Neither DNA profile matched your killer."

"Thanks," Judy told the rat. She hung up and sighed. "Three or five possible suspects?"

"Think we've narrowed it enough for Alces to give us more time?" asked Nick.

"I don't know. Alces might be impressed, but he knows that we may have hit a dead end. A judge won't issue an order to force DNA tests for multiple suspects when there's no actual evidence linking any of them to a crime."

"So, we need to narrow the list more?"

"Yep. The three we have addresses for?"

"What about them?"

"Call Department of Sanitation. Find when their garbage is picked up."

That evening, as they sat in an unmarked police car, Nick asked, "And this is legal?"

"How did you get through the Police Academy?"

"You don't need the highest grade in a class to pass the Academy. Unlike some animals I could name, I am not an over-achiever."

"Are you suggesting there is something wrong with that?"

"Not at all. Husbands need to know their place. We're always wrong. If I had the best scores in my class I might be tempted to argue with you. Now I know just to say, 'Yes, Dear'. But if you could, remind me on why this isn't entrapment?"

"Courts say once you put your garbage out on the curb the police don't need a court order to go through it."

"The courts pay any attention of the dignity of the poor police officers, forced to rummage around in garbage for evidence?"

"Nope."

Judy kept watch. Nick played solitaire on his phone. Eventually she nudged him. "He's bringing out the trash."

"Okay, so we–"

"No, 'We' Mister Wilde. I've been on duty. You've been on break. You go grab the evidence. You don't your wife digging around in garbage do you?"

They left the bag of garbage at the lab and headed home.

Judy had to give testimony in court the next day for a crime a month earlier. Nick went out alone to shadow one of the two remaining suspects they could locate. As the fox had suspected, the request for an alibi or DNA had alerted the lynx that he was under suspicion. Nick wasn't sure if the animal had spotted him doing surveillance or was simply being careful.

He was far enough from the lynx his phone might not have been heard, but the phone was on vibrate. Caller ID showed the First.

"Yes?"

"Nick? Ben here."

"Judy okay?"

"Far as I know. Calling to give you a head's up."

"What's happening?"

"That old weasel, the one at the retirement home?"

"Duke's grandmother."

"She called again."

"You didn't tell Alces, did you?"

"No, but you know I'm supposed to log all incoming calls. I could get in trouble."

Nick sighed, "I'll go out and talk with her tonight. I promise."

"Thanks, Nick."

"Don't suppose the Forensics Lab called for Judy or me."

"Sorry. Expecting a call?"

"Not this fast – but I could hope. If they have it by tonight it counts as small miracle."

"So would a big miracle if they'd called already?"

"Hope doesn't cost anything. No harm in wanting a big one."

"I'll let you know if you get one."

Late in the morning Duke's bail was set.

Nick felt it had been set excessively high and called Judy on what he assumed was a lunch break to complain. "Why set it that high for an innocent animal?"

"Because they don't know he's not the killer," she reminded him. "That's what they'd require for any animal arrested for three murders."

In the afternoon, after testifying at the trial, Judy joined Nick. The rabbit had been nervous, unsure if what the courts might think of any evidence Nick might have collected without her. The testimony of two detectives would carry more weight.

"Maybe we should try the other lynx," suggested Nick. "He's so careful... He comes out for a cigarette break every ninety minutes or so, and pockets the butts and takes them back inside with him."

"That can't be his habit," argued Judy. "Force of habit will kick in, he'll get careless and we'll have something for the lab."

The lynx was careful for the rest of the day. If there was more evidence for that specific lynx the department would have assigned another pair of detectives to continue watching. Judy and Nick were on their own. They were putting in extra hours this week, but got nothing on this potential suspect.

"Where are you going," Judy asked as they quit for the day and Nick drove in an unexpected direction.

"Duke's grandmother called the station again."

"Ouch."

"Ben said he'd try to keep it off the record, but it's not fair to him. I'm hoping I can threaten the old gal and make her stop."

"It seems to me that telling her you can get in trouble if she keeps calling will only encourage her to keep calling."

"Ah, but I say I'm willing to help Duke when I can, if she'll stop calling. She keeps calling and I ignore Duke. There's the threat."

Judy snorted, "Empty threat. You want Duke out... I can't believe I'm saying this, but I want Duke out. He shouldn't be behind bars for a crime he didn't commit. Now, if he gets picked up for one of his illegal activities, that's different."

"But of course his grandmother doesn't know it's an empty threat. I'd suggest we play good cop – bad cop with her... You make a lousy bad cop."

"Hard for a rabbit," agreed Judy. "Everyone believes you pred types are bad."

"Stereotyping!" Nick said in accusatory tone.

"And you saying rabbits are lousy as the bad cop isn't?"

Nick laughed, "How about we do the concerned police officers who want to do their duty, but she's interfering?"

They managed to extract a promise to not call the station for at least a week, but in return she demanded they meet with the lawyer she had arranged for Duke.

"Alces won't like that," Judy commented as they left.

"True, but we make sure we do it on our time. And if we can show this lynx is a killer he'll give us a lot of slack on helping Duke."

"You seem awfully sure this lynx is the killer. We have two names on our list we can't even get any information on."

"Call it canine intuition."

"I'll call it hopeless optimism."

"I can't believe you would accuse anyone else of being overly optimistic, Ms Rebecca of Bunnyburrow Farms – where the sun always shines and the air smells of roses."

"It could be one of the two we're got nothing on. We can't even be sure the killer was on that original list of twenty-eight!"

"Yes, but I happen to know the rabbit who compiled the list is very efficient. And if Fox-male and Rabbit found nothing on the Fox Computer about those last two it means they've moved out of the city, or died or something. I mean, some of those records you went through were old."

* * *

It was their last day Alces had given them to narrow the list of suspects. Judy felt certain that four vague suspects, with no hard evidence any of the four was the killer, meant they'd be removed from the case on Monday. Nick thought they had made incredible progress and felt he could persuade Alces for at least another week to work the potential suspects that remained.

It was, once again, a day where they obtained no evidence. Every cigarette butt, any lunch wrapper was carefully kept by the lynx. "He knows we're watching," represented Nick opinion.

End of the work day. The lynx left, smoking a cigarette and talking with a wolf. He paused to grind out the butt, picked it up and pocketed it, and headed for the parking lot.

Judy jumped from the car, drawing a small plastic evidence bag from her pocket as she headed for the spot where the butt had been extinguished.

Nick wondered what Judy had seen. What he saw was the lynx noticing Judy from the corner of his eye and turning around to go after the rabbit. Nick was out of the car and running to protect Judy. The wolf who had been walking with the lynx just stood, puzzled and wondering what was going on.

As Judy stooped at the spot where the cigarette had been ground out the lynx was almost on her. The fox made a flying tackle and knocked the feline to one side. But the lynx was bigger than Nick, a slash of his claws knocked the fox back, shredding Nick's clothing.

The lynx turned at Judy, but the rabbit was ready. Another swipe of claws, but Judy grabbed his arm and threw him. The feline landed heavily and both Nick and Judy jumped on top of him.

The wolf had come back, not sure what was happening and wondering if he should aid his co-worker.

"Police officers," Judy called. "Nick, cuff him!"

Once the lynx was subdued Judy read the animal his rights and called for him to be picked up. As he was loaded into the black mariah Judy smiled at him, "Assault on police officers. It's a felony offense."

They headed back to their vehicle. Nick assessed the damage to his suit. It could not be saved.

"Are you hurt?" Judy asked, the worry clear in her voice.

"The suit's ruined."

"I don't care, it's not important."

"I liked this suit."

"You, you're important! If you got hurt trying – I was ready for him."

"I didn't know that. And I happen to love you. I'm fine, but I have one question. What did you see? What did he drop?"

"He didn't drop anything."

"Then why was he trying... He didn't know you hadn't seen anything."

"I've been hanging around with a fox for too long. I'm afraid I'm losing all my moral values. I tricked the poor lynx."

"You're just lucky the fox was there to save your fluffy little tail," Nick told her. "And you might have considered warning him what you were going to do."

"It just came to me, I had to act fast."

"Attack on police officer, felony offense, mandatory DNA test."

"And your canine intuition said he's the murderer... The fact he attacked us suggests he might be."

"And you said you lost all your moral values hanging around with me? Maybe this is the weekend to test out your offer to do _anything_ for me."

* * *

The pair met with Duke's defense lawyer over the weekend. They were not impressed. It was not that he seemed incompetent. Judy's opinion was, "Crooked. Which you would expect when Duke's grandmother hired him."

"There's an old song where a lawyer boasts, 'All thieves who could my fees afford relied on my orations, and many a burglar I've restored to his friends and his relations.' It's lawyers like that who give weasels a bad name."

"Uh, Nick? Do you need your eyes checked. He was an armadillo, not a weasel."

"Doesn't matter. A lawyer that slimy still gives weasels a bad name. Everything gives weasels a bad name. They've got it worse than foxes."

"True. Maybe Ernie can change public perception."

"If any weasel can change public opinion it would be Ernie. Ernie and Gina make a nice couple, very photogenic."

"Almost as nice as Ernie and Iris."

"But no Ernie and Cheryl, right?"

"Certainly not, Mister Wilde. Zootopia is not ready for interspecies romance."


	5. Minnie the Moocher is Dead

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

In 1940 Jimmie Lunceford added his own spin to the Smokey Joe mythos with Minnie The Moocher Is Dead, sung by the Dandridge sisters. I've not been able to find a copy of the lyrics. I've listened multiple times. I can't understand what is being said about Smokey Joe's grief. I suspect some scat singing (made-up words to complete the rhythm) and/or the use of 1940s slang which is alien to my ears.

**Minnie the Moocher is Dead**

Ben greeted them with a huge smile and, "Congratulations!"

Judy and Nick looked puzzled.

"You didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"See Alces. Oh, and Bogo sends congrats too."

Nick looked at Judy and raised an eyebrow, asking if she had a clue. The rabbit shook her head no, indicating she didn't.

The moose was slightly more nuanced when they reached his office. "Almost congratulations. But I've told you to knock off the Fox-male and Rabbit. Wilde, I'd ask how you could be so stupid, but I think I know."

"Uh, if you wouldn't mind could you tell us what you're talking about? Clawhauser congratulated us, but didn't tell us why."

"You haven't heard from Forensics yet?"

Nick was tempted to point out the obvious, if they had any idea what the moose was talking about they wouldn't have asked the question. But it appeared Alces might be more than his normal level of unhappy with the fox, so it might not be a good idea to poke a very large animal with a sharp stick. "No, what happened?"

"Lynx you brought in has been charged with murder, assault, and multiple burglaries. May be possible to link him with a few more crimes."

Judy and Nick exchanged a joyful high five, then Nick demanded, "What did you mean asking how I could be so stupid? What did I do this time?"

"Endangering your partner, and now there's a chance a lawyer can argue entrapment."

"Nick didn't endanger me," argued Judy. "That was my idea!"

"Your idea to pretend to find evidence and put yourself in harm's way?"

"Yes."

"You've been hanging around the fox too long."

Judy hugged Nick's arm and leaned against the fox, "It's impossible to spend too much time with Nick. He's wonderful."

The moose rolled his eyes as he shook his head and chuckled. "If you two weren't so good I'd gift-wrap you and send you to the Second."

Nick asked, "You really think a lawyer will argue that was entrapment?"

"Probably. No jury should buy it. No one held a gun to the lynx's head and ordered him to attack Judy. But a jury filled with idiots, or even a couple jurors who hate the police, might believe that crap. Should be a minor bump, at worst, before conviction." He tapped his desk, "Knock on wood."

"Since we were so brilliant last week," began Nick, "Maybe you could see your way to letting us look at the Smokey Joe–"

"No. It was the Fourth's case."

"It would reflect well if the First solved a crime the Fourth failed–"

"We're all the police," the moose told him firmly. "We're on the same team and not in competition with each other. What matters is that the guilty are found... Of course, if you and Judy are given a soft week as a reward for the extra hours you put in last week you might look at the Fourth's work on the case, if you want. Your captain, would never assign you to work one of the Fourth's cases."

"Of course not," Nick agreed.

Judy just grinned. As they headed for their desks, to write up the official report on the lynx and the expanded list of crimes with which he would be charged, she whispered, "I got you the time you wanted to look at Duke's case."

"We worked it together. I'll give you the credit for that stunt you pulled... Not sure why you want all the credit."

Judy winked at him, "Maybe this weekend you'll offer to do anything I want."

The fox pretended to look worried, "Anything?"

The rabbit tried to leer at him, but bunny faces weren't constructed for a good leer. "It would only seem fair."

Nick sighed, "Okay, but why do I feel like it will require me to wear that gray and black jersey and watch the Hares United game?"

"Holy Prophecy, Fox-male, you've gained a new superpower! Now, before Alces sends us an assignment, you said you'd started thinking about Duke's case?"

"Just started. Sort of figuring out the things we need to consider. I think we've got a lot of signs pointing in wrong directions. Too many potential dead ends."

"Care to explain what you're thinking?"

"Well, I see three big headings for what this is about. And under the three big headings there could be Dog knows how many options. If–"

"So, start with giving me the big three."

"Okay. One is that it's about Duke or the old Weaseloni mob. It's all done to get Duke tossed in jail and charged with murder. Someone hates Duke, or wants to get back at his grandmother. I imagine a lot of animals don't like Duke. For example, I know a rabbit who doesn't like him, but she wouldn't commit murders in an effort to frame him. If it's about Duke there has to be some animal who really, really hates him."

"He turned state's evidence against Bellwether."

"Yeah, I'm thinking we need to explore that angle if this is about framing Duke. That angle and anyone else who might have it in for Duke."

"Which is, maybe, half of Zootopia."

"At least. Second big possibility, this really is about the old Smokey Joe mob. Maybe there was a stash of loot that was supposed to be shared. Maybe someone wanted revenge on the families of some animals who did him, or his father, dirt years ago."

"Why wait fifty years or more?"

"I didn't say it was likely. I'm saying we have to consider that as one of the options. Didn't a talk radio host say maybe the killer was some mobster who's spent the last fifty years in jail?"

"I think so. I hope you're not suggesting that maybe it's the real ghost of Smokey Joe behind the killing, come back to punish the families of gang members who turned on him."

"We can rule out a real ghost. I don't believe in them. And a real ghost wouldn't need to frame Duke. Some animal did a good job of setting him up as a fall guy."

"So we can scratch a real ghost off the list of possible suspects?"

"I feel relatively confident about scratching the ghost."

"Consider the ghost scratched. You said a third major motive heading?"

"Killer wanted to eliminate one of the three animals who was killed. He, or she, was afraid it might be too easy for the police to figure it out if only one animal was killed, and so the Smokey Joe angle is purely a distraction."

"That's a pretty callous murderer."

"We don't know what the payoff was. Maybe one of the three left seven million creds to a nephew – who didn't want to wait. Lot of animals might commit three murders for seven million."

Judy nodded, "Have to check the three victims out as individuals as well as a group. I"m getting a sense of the sub-headings under your big headings."

"Better believe it, Carrots. That's what I meant about so many distractions and dead-ends. Oh, and look for a smart killer."

"And your reasoning?"

"The ghostly image stuff. How did the killer manage that? Video image is under heading four, miscellaneous. Distorted video, old ammunition, challenge medals, and anything else we think of. Might be a clue in one of those."

"Or might not be." Judy was silent for a minute, then confessed, "I know what Malus meant about Jonathan and David being in over their heads. Too many doors to look behind."

"We have a small advantage over them."

"The fact we're working on it, and we're brilliant?"

"Two advantages. We also know Duke didn't do it. We don't have to consider that, so it won't distract us."

"Strikes me we have something fundamentally important as the place we need to start."

"And that would be?"

"The killer had a bunch of of information on Smokey Joe, or at least his gang, and the fight with the Weaseloni mob. Where did the killer get the information?. How easy is it to find that stuff? Are we dealing with someone who wrote a history of gang-warfare in Zootopia? An old member, or child of a member of one of the gangs? Or are we looking at someone who just knows how to use a search engine?"

"Good questions, Rabbit! To the Fox Computer!"

At the end of a half hour, Nick commented. "Well, it wouldn't take a historian to find a ton of information on the Smokey Joe angle."

"Search Duke, and some of the stories on his connection with Bellwether gang and you get reference to the Weaseloni mob."

"And from there the connection to Smokey Joe. Or, if you're after someone you know has any vague connection with the Smokey Joe mob you can find some of the members who did time years ago, and not that hard to find names of their children."

"And when you're looking for someone to frame for the crimes the Weaseloni angle comes into... How would the killer know Duke carried a Smokey Joe challenge coin?"

"Maybe he didn't. Maybe that was just luck."

"Maybe. Maybe it would be worthwhile to talk with Duke. And his grandmother. Even if she can't add anything at least she'll see we're working on this and get off our backs."

"You almost sound afraid of an ancient weasel in a retirement home."

"I saw her rap sheet. She'd be willing to order three hits if there was something in it for her."

"You saying we need her as a suspect?"

"No, she wouldn't have framed Duke."

Before they could arrange a meeting they were sent out to process a crime scene and take witness statements. It took an hour and a half.

"You can knock off for the day after you get that on my desk," Alces told them.

Nick managed to restrain himself from saying, "Thanks, Chief." The moose seemed in a rare good mood and upsetting him seemed like a bad idea under the circumstances.

The swung by the Golden Fields Retirement Home before going to the jail to interview Duke.

"It's about time you two cleared my Dominick," complained the elderly weasel in the back seat of the car.

"Clearing Duke is not our assignment, Missus Weaseloni," Judy tried to explain. "We're on our own time. Nick–"

"Well, you ought to be on it," she snapped. "According to the television you're the only two officers in Zootopia who can do anything."

"There are many good officers in the ZPD. The Smokey Joe murders were not our assignment. Officers at the Fourth worked–"

"They fucked up."

"They investigated the evidence and–"

"Do you think my Dominick killed anyone?"

"No."

"They fucked up."

Being celebrities sometimes made life harder for the rabbit and fox. Sometimes it made life easier. Had any two random officers showed up with a prisoner's grandmother and asked to see the animal behind bars they would have been required to furnish pages and pages of documentation and spend a half hour answering questions.

"This interrogation room. Wait here. I'll bring Weaselton," the guard told them. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"No, this is wonderful. Thank you very much," Nick assured him, using his smooth and ingratiating voice.

"Do you think he might be innocent?"

"Of course my Dominck is innocent," the old weasel snapped. "Someone fucked up."

"The detectives from the Fourth did a very thorough job," Judy told the guard. "But there are still some angles on the murders that need to be cleared up."

"How long do you need to talk with Weaselton? I could get in trouble if you talk too long."

"How long can you give us?"

"It's supposed to be a half hour, max. I can let you–"

"That should be fine. If he talks it shouldn't take half an hour. If he won't talk there's no point in interviewing him. Knock on the door to get your attention when we're done?"

"That'll work." The guard pointed to a small remote on the table inside the room. "That'll summon four guards."

"Can we have the video tape of the interview?"

"Uh, sorry, we need to–"

"It's fine," Nick assured him. "We'll have our notes, and the tape will be on file if we need to see it again."

"Right," the guard nodded. They went in and sat, the guard was back in ten minutes with Duke.

"Gran!"

"Dominck!"

"Could you take the cuffs off while he's in here?"

"Sorry, Detective Hopps, rules are–"

"Judy never breaks the rules," Nick assured him, and helped Duke sit down. "Thanks again, this is a huge help."

"Youse iz workin' da case?" Duke asked after the guard left.

"Not officially," Judy told him. "Our captain is giving us a little slack. If we can turn up hard evidence of something he may give it to us for real."

"Whoever framed you had some knowledge of the old war between the Smokey Joe and Weaseloni mobs–"

"That's history. No fucking way is that behind this," snorted Rosa Weaseloni.

"Whoever framed Duke made it look like it's behind the killings. And that's why Duke is in jail now. We need information on enemies who'd like to see Duke charged with murder. There is a ton of information out there on the old gang warfare, but we're hoping the two of you might give us something that might help us on that too."

"I'm not telling bulls anything," the elderly weasel told them.

"Even to help Duke?"

The grandmother fell silent.

Nick turned to Duke, "We'll start with you. You may just be a patsy the killer framed to keep the heat off himself. Or, the real killer is someone who hates you and wants you in prison. Does anyone hate you enough to kill three animals?"

"You turned state's evidence on the Bellwether mob," Judy reminded him. "We know there are animals sympathetic to their cause who weren't jailed. Could one of them be behind this?"

Duke thought for a moment, "I doubts dat hypotenuse. I tinks dat da Bellwedder gang wouldst radder go after youse or da fox."

"Murder is extreme," Nick pointed out. "Do you know any animal who'd murder three other animals just to frame you? It seems hard to believe."

Judy nodded agreement, "I imagine there are a lot of animals who hate you, but killing three other animals to frame you? That seems unlikely."

"I iz da best loved animal in Zootopia," Duke insisted. "Except for youse twos. I does not knows any animal who would off tree... Big. Ones upon a time Big could odor tree hits as easy as he coulds sneeze. But he is goin' legit. And Big haz no reasons to hates me. Hook MacKenzie. Da wolverine could rubs out tree animals for fun–"

"He's in jail," Judy reminded him.

"Youse really tinks he does nots have contacts on da outside? If he taught I waz snitching for–"

"Are you snitching for the Bulls?" Duke's grandmother cried, "Dominick? How could you?"

"I'm sure Duke is no informant," Nick assured her. "He's on probation, and that means the police check up on him. Detective Hopps happens to hate the very ground Duke treads on, so we stop him frequently to verify his activities. It's almost criminal the way she persecutes your poor grandson."

"That isn't–" Judy sputtered.

"Dat iz eggsactly da ways I sees it," Duke assured his grandmother.

"I try to restrain her," the fox told the elderly weasel.

Judy glared at Nick, then returned to questioning Duke, "Are you saying Hook MacKenzie could have ordered the killings to frame you?"

"Nah. If da wolverine taught I was a snitch, which I iz nots, he wouldst have had a hit outs on me."

"Would make more sense," agreed Nick. "If an animal hated you enough to commit murder, they would try to off you rather than killing three other animals and hoping to frame you for it."

Duke nodded, "Ain't it da truth, but youse iz sayin' dat will nots get me out?"

"No. It just means the murders weren't done to frame you. Someone's using you for a patsy. That's what Judy and I think. But the detectives at the Fourth still think you did the killings."

"And whoever set you up is using the Smokey Joe angle to pin it on you. Nick and I would like to know some more about Smokey Joe and the mob war between his gang and the Weaselonis." She looked over at the grandmother. "The fact you led the Weaselonis after your husband was murdered is out on the internet. It's easy to find out that Duke is your grandson." She looked back at Duke. "The Smokey Joe challenge coin. Where did you get it? How many other animals know you had it?"

Nick looked at the grandmother, "I'm guessing you gave it to him. Recently?"

"I does not remember hows old I was when Gran gave it ta me," Duke answered. "Years ago. I does not know hows many animals mights know dat I has it... Every sos often some animals haz read about gang wars and looks me up. If dey buys some merchandize I spins a yarn about about da evil times in da city."

"You show the challenge medal?"

"Usuallies. Never saw no reasons to not do so."

"Recently?" demanded Nick. "Any recent requests."

"Six weeks? Two monts? I does not mark da requests on my calendar."

"It was before the murders?"

"Yeah, I iz pretty sures of dat."

"Remember the species," Judy asked. "It might be the animal who set you up."

Duke concentrated, but got nothing. "I meets maybe two dozen species a day. I does nots remember any animal what I talks wit' unless dere is somethin' special. Like dis rabbit who overpays fors a DVD."

"Bad luck to talk about bootleg DVDs in front of the police," Nick reminded him.

"Shut your trap, Dominck," Rosa warned.

Judy reminded the old weasel they were trying to find information that might help her grandson.

"They claim hypnosis can sometimes help bring memories back," Nick told Duke. "They say it. I don't know if it's true. Sounds bogus to me, and I suspect we'd need a court order to attempt it."

"What do you mean, it sounds bogus?" demanded Judy.

"I've worked with a hypnotist. They can plant false memories while you're in a suggestive state. As I recall they won't let it be used as testimony in court."

"A police hypnotist would not–"

Duke coughed to get their attention, "If youse woulds not mind, my time iz limited."

"Sorry," apologized Nick. "If you happen to remember anything, write it down."

"Exactly where was the ammunition found?" asked Judy. "The report called it a cache. Claimed you had caches of material around Zootopia. How many to you have? Where? How easy would it be for an animal to discover them?

"Keep your trap shut," his grandmother warned again.

"We're still trying to help him."

"I does nots know da meaning of cache. I gots several lockers rented in public spaces around da city. Bus terminals an' places likes dat."

"A bus terminal was where the ammo was planted," confirmed Nick. "Sounds like you're counting on a crowd to animals around to keep anyone from trying to get into a locker with a crow bar. But it also means you wouldn't notice if someone was watching you."

"But there's video tape of the bus terminal," Judy said in an excited voice. "It may show the animal that planted the ammunition."

Nick knew there were a lot of ways for a smart animal to avoid being captured on tape. But even smart animals made dumb mistakes. "We head to the bus station and ask to see the video tape as soon as we take Missus Weaseloni back."

Judy felt the questions about Duke had been answered. It seemed unlikely the killings had been done specifically to frame Duke. But whether the murders were really connected with the Smokey Joe mob, or the connection was a distraction still wasn't clear. "There are a lot of holes in the information about Smokey Joe." She looked at Rosa, "If this really is about something in his old gang any information might help us break the case. Can you tell us anything about the real Smokey Joe?"

The old weasel snorted, "Of course. I might be the only animal alive who met him."

"Youse met 'im, Gran?" Duke asked in disbelief, "da real Joe?"

"The real deal. It would have been dangerous for anyone to try and pass himself off as Joe, his gang would not have cared for that."

"What can you tell us about him?" Judy wanted to know.

"Good dancer, and good paws... Very good paws."

"I does not needs ta hears dis," muttered Duke.

"I was sixteen, maybe seventeen, and still trying to earn my place in... I hadn't married my late husband. Went to a bar where Joe's gang were known to hang out and asked if he'd dance with me. The Weaseloni mob was already skirmishing with Joe's mob, but he and I went out on the dance floor – he didn't know I was working with, or rather, I didn't think he suspected. I was supposed to stick a shiv in him, I was going to wait until the end of the dance. Dance ended. We stepped away from each other. He smiled at me and I reached for my blade. He'd lifted it from me during the dance. I hadn't felt a thing. Good paws – didn't feel a thing. An animal with class, he let me live – just gave me a warning I wouldn't get out alive if I tried anything again."

"What was his species," asked Judy.

"Otter."

"You said the Weaseloni mob was already skirmishing with Joe's gang at that point?"

"That's right, it got worse. Joe had a big mob, he was smart and he welcomed every species in. That's probably why the challenge coins, and why there was confusion about his species. You knew that a raccoon, or a possum, was part of Joe's gang and you just assume Joe was a raccoon or a possum. We were a weasel gang. I don't know if he had any weasels or not. But when he started trying to muscle into our territory we fought back. And we weren't doing so hot. Our territory kept shrinking. And then Joe disappeared, and it all went to Hell."

"I don't understand. What do you mean, Joe disappeared?"

"What do you think I mean? He was just gone."

"What happened to him?"

The old weasel shrugged, "Who knows? We didn't off him. I know that. There were a couple other mobs he was pressuring as well, but they were like us – on the ropes and just trying to survive. Could one of them bumped him off? I never heard anyone taking credit. Story that went around was that he kicked the gong around, and–"

"Kicked the gong around?" Judy interrupted.

"Opium habit," explained Nick.

"Got his frail hooked too," continued the old weasel. "She died... Minnie. Her name was Minnie. The old blue James Street Infirmary. Joe went to see the body and, no one claims to have seen him after that. More than fifty years ago – maybe sixty."

"And it all went to Hell, you said," Nick reminded her.

"His gang fell apart without him to hold it together. He kept the species working together. After he disappeared species started quarreling in the gang. Those of us who'd lost territory started taking it back. Probably biggest gang warfare the city has seen – at least among shorts. Smalls might... Nobody notices the small mobs at war with each other."

"Except the smalls," Judy corrected her.

"Nobody cares if smalls off smalls," argued Rosa.

"We care now. City is developing small police units."

"So I hear. I'll believe it when I see it."

Nick noticed the time. "We need to go. Thanks for your help," he told the weasels.

"We'll check the bus terminal for video after we take you back," Judy promised the grandmother.


	6. Growlin' Dan

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Blanche Calloway, Cab's sister, added to the mythos with Minnie (sadly, without Smokey) making a guest appearance in 1931 lyrics.

**Growlin' Dan**

After leaving Duke's grandmother at the Golden Fields Retirement Home Nick drove to the central bus terminal while Judy checked the time of the anonymous call to the police claiming to have seen Duke sticking ammunition in a locker. "See if we can get the video tape from the two or three hours before the call?"

"Sounds about right. You don't want to wait too long after planting evidence, Duke might have come back and found it."

The porcupine in charge of the locker division of customer service was in a foul temper, although it is sometimes difficult to tell with porcupines. (Nick's opinion was they were not hugged often enough when young.) There was little he was willing to do for them without a court order.

"The police already have the video tape," he growled at them. "You should know that."

_"Jonathan and David weren't helpless apparently,"_ Nick thought, _"but they're just going to be looking for Duke and could miss what's important."_

"Could we see the locker?" requested Judy.

"I told you, I won't open it for–"

"We're not asking you to open it. Will you show us where it is? We'd like a sense of traffic flow in the area and–"

"Why are you asking this? The other detectives were already here! They did that!"

Nick used his calming voice. "This is a very important case. Three animals were murdered. The police want to investigate this as thoroughly as possible so there is no miscarriage of justice. We're simply asking you to show us where the locker is so we can gather details the first detectives might have missed. You can do it now and be done with us, or we get a judge to issue a court order and go over your head to your supervisor and ask why you didn't want to cooperate with a simple request."

The porcupine scowled.

Nick smiled.

The porcupine pushed back from his desk, "This way."

"Duke Weaselton claims to have several lockers rented around the city," Judy told him as they walked to the locker area. "Is that unusual?"

"I only know the lockers here."

"Apparently he has it rented long term and not just a twenty-four hour rental."

"We have some of each – short term and long term that is. There are animals who like to store a change of clothing, or other things they might not want a spouse to find, here at the terminal." A little further, "And here we are. I'll leave you and–"

"A couple more questions, if you don't mind," requested Nick.

The porcupine did mind, but decided the fastest way to free himself was to answer the questions. "Yes?"

"Location of video cameras?"

"There."

"Just the one covers this spot?"

"Correct."

The camera was mounted so that it rotated slowly. How slowly? Would an animal be able to avoid being filmed, if careful? "I'll time the rotation," Judy told Nick.

"These are unusual locks," commented Nick. "Not the usual key."

"Keys can be duplicated too easily. Rent a locker short term, duplicate the key, and keep coming back to see what other animals have stored. The magnetic lock can be changed for a new user without re-keying."

"Nice," Nick nodded. It was not what he wanted to hear. He'd assumed an animal had copied a key. It had to have been something else. "In case of power outage?"

"No one would have access until the emergency generator comes on-line. I don't see how–"

"Just gathering the facts. We'll say an animal had rented a locker at some point. What are the chances his magnetic card might open a different locker?"

"Almost impossible. If a card is used in five incorrect locks an alarm sounds. That and the vendor claims there are so many possible combinations we'll never use them all."

"Efficient. Oh, is there a chance that there is a computer record of when lockers are opened? Does the card register that somewhere? Did detectives Jonathan and David ask about that?"

"They didn't..." The porcupine thought for a minute, "But I believe there is a record."

"YES!" Exclaimed the fox and punched the air in triumph. "We'll need that to correlate with the video. I'll call a judge and–"

"I'll print it out for you," the porcupine sighed. "But just for this locker."

"All we need," Judy assured him.

"If you come back to my office with me, it should only take a few minutes to print it out."

"We'll be back in a couple minutes. Nick and I want to talk about what we've seen here."

"What have you seen here? It's lockers."

"True, but we still need to talk."

The porcupine left.

"Camera rotates slowly," Judy told Nick. "Might be time for an animal to open one and put something in without being taped. If he did it quickly."

"Yeah, but we need to know more about these magnetic locks. It sounds like they were designed to not be opened quick. Still... someone could have figured one out."

"And another problem. Let's imagine the video shows us Duke opening the locker, and there is no image of who opened it at a later time shown in the computer record. Do we have anything? The prosecutor will claim it was simply Duke opening it again and it was pure chance that he wasn't caught on the tape."

"You're right about the prosecutor's argument. However there is a very small chance Duke will have an alibi for when his locker was opened again. More likely we'll be able to see some potential suspects in the video. Even if he or she was good enough to not be taped opening the locker the killer might appear in the area of the lockers.

The two collected the print-out of times when Duke's locker had been accessed.

"Something is odd," the porcupine told them.

"What's odd?"

"The last time this was opened before the police came," Dan told them and pointed at the sheet. "Just noticed the other lockers around it reported being opened at the same time. That doesn't make sense."

Nick sought clarification, "That would happen if all the animals renting lockers opened at once?"

"Yes, but that would be... It doesn't seem likely."

"Prosecution will say one of the animals who had her or his locker open at the same time saw Duke put the ammunition in, and was the anonymous caller."

"Prosecutor will claim it," agreed Nick. He looked at the locker manager, "But you said this is unusual. My money is on you being right on that."

Judy studied the list of times the locker had been opened as Nick drove. "I think the killer was watching for Duke."

"How so?"

"Last two openings before the police arrived? Less than thirty minutes apart. He probably watched for Duke, then waited a little while to make sure Duke had left. Not much time for Duke to establish an alibi on the other side of town."

"How does it line up with the anonymous call about the locker?"

Judy consulted her notes. "A little more than fifteen minutes."

"You or I could have run from the bus station to the phone in six, but running calls attention to the runner. Still, I'm hoping we get some potential suspects from the tape even if there's nothing definite. But we won't."

"What do you mean, we won't?"

"Last time the locker was opened? Did Duke or the killer put in damaging evidence with witnesses all around?"

"Well, the killer wouldn't have... Or Duke. This makes no sense."

"Oh, I suspect it will when we see the tape."

"And getting the tape will be a job for Slick Nick, the silver-tongued Fox of Steal. Jonathan and David have it. How do you plan to get it for us to watch? Tell them you think they screwed up the investigation or simply invent a huge lie?"

"Well there's no way they're letting it out of the evidence room."

"I have faith in you. You'll come up with something wonderfully sneaky and under-handed."

"Now, now, Detective Hopps, you're talking about the old Nick Wilde. This is the new and improved version. Nick Wilde two point seven. We may be able to watch it there with Able or Kane. Might even be able to get Jonathan or David to show it to us with a little flattery and leaving out the detail that I think their results are worse than useless." _"And I already know the tape won't give us a damn bit of help._"

* * *

"Alces says see him first thing," Ben told the pair the next morning.

"Why am I not surprised?" muttered the fox.

The moose sighed as he looked at the pair. "I feel like I'm sticking my neck out here. Let me know if you find anything, I need to hear it. What happened yesterday?"

"Well," admitted Judy, "we discovered the detectives from the Fourth did a decent job with the investigation."

It did not improve the moose's expression. "So, willing to consider that Duke Weaselton may be guilty?"

"No," Nick told him. "They did a fairly good job. If I didn't know Duke I might be willing to believe he was the killer. But I know Duke, and he's not. The killer is smart, and worked damn hard on framing Duke. I'm hoping the smart will come back to bite him in the ass. Getting into Duke's locker? The distorted video imagines? Old ammunition? The challenge medals? It's too elaborate. There has to be a slip or two in there."

Alces glanced at Judy, "He believes that. Do you?"

"I believe criminals always make a mistake. The forces of justice will–"

Nick interrupted, "Did you really expect the poster child for optimism to–"

"I also happen to think she's honest," the moose told him. "And the real question was, 'After finding out the detectives at the Fourth weren't fuck-ups, do you still think it is worth your time?'."

"Yes," Judy assured him.

"Okay, try and get some real progress soon."

"Try and get the tape from the Fourth to see if we can find a suspect?" Judy suggested when they reached their desks.

"A little later. Like I told Alces, there are some other things to check. Why don't you check to see if you can find any place that sells old ammunition? I'm guessing that is a dead end. Killer probably found some in his attic or something... Might have even given him the idea. I'm going to find the name of the collector who identified the challenge coin. Is there a market for those things? If the killer just happened to have three around it suggests some mob ties in his family's past. If he needed to buy them he may have left a record."

Fifteen minutes later Nick told Judy, "Heading to a coin shop in an hour. Want to come with me?"

"If you spend the next hour with me working on YouBuy and calling gun shops. It looks like legitimate stores keep records on ammunition sales – and don't sell old ammunition. Not finding anything on YouBuy... So looks like it was either an under-the-counter sale, assuming killer could find a place willing to sell outdated ammunition, or your guess of garage or attic find is probably right."

An old opossum with thick glasses was the owner of Kevin's Koins. Judy stared in amazement at all the different coins and medallions displayed beneath the glass counter, each in a coin holder with a small sticker neatly labeled with mysterious initials such as F, VF, NM, and other combinations as Nick introduced himself. "What do all the letters mean?" she asked.

"She's not a collector," Nick explained to the possum. "In real estate the three most important things to consider are location, location, location. For collectors it's condition, condition, condition. Poor, Fair, Fine, Very Fine, Near Mint – value is based on condition."

"Doesn't rarity enter in there someplace?" asked Judy.

"Someplace, yes. And demand is also a factor," Kevin agreed. "But grading is important. A coin worth two credits in poor condition may be worth five hundred in very fine." He turned to the fox, "You collect coins?"

"No, old records. But I think condition is an issue in all collectibles."

"True enough," nodded the opossum. "You were wanting to know more about the Smokey Joe pieces at the murder scenes?"

"Yes, and I think Judy's concerns may be the most important issues here. What's the supply and demand for Smokey Joe challenge coins? Frankly, it seems odd a gang would even have such a thing."

"I haven't heard of any other mobs having them," agreed Kevin. "Fraternal organizations, businesses, unions," he walked over to a small case at one side of the shop and pointed out examples. "Some police departments have them. Now there isn't a market for mob challenge coins, _per se_. There just aren't any others. If you have a Smokey Joe challenge medal you have the complete set of gang medallions. The story is Smokey Joe needed them because he had different species in his gang."

"We can confirm that."

"Anyway, demand was fairly low as a result. Was. Publicity changes things. Used to be fine condition might bring fifty credits. Average ten."

"Sold any yourself in the last four or five months?"

"Three. I sold one maybe three months ago... Wish I hadn't. Sold it for thirty-five. Since the story broke in the news I've sold two more – each for more than a hundred-fifty. If the buyers think they're going to go up in value they're probably wrong. In a year it will be out of the papers and the value will drop."

"The one you sold three months ago," Judy asked in an excited voice. "Information on the buyer? Credit card or check information."

Nick told her, "There are certain, ah, financial reasons for dealers and collectors to prefer cash." He glanced at Kevin, "Am I right?"

"You are. I might have the PO box number in my files–"

"Post Office Box? He gave you cash? And asked you to–"

"It arrived by mail. Some collectors like a bit of anonymity, especially if they have very valuable collections. They might fear fear a dealer would tell a thief where–"

"He sent you cash? By mail? You could have–"

The possum drew himself up possum, "An honest dealer wouldn't dream of it. You want a relationship of trust with the collectors... They may buy more. And that one seemed promising. I'll check, but I believe it was the same individual who bought three other, more expensive items at the same time."

Kevin was able to find the PO Box, and Nick and Judy hoped it would provide a name – although it could also belong to a reclusive collector who didn't want the location of a valuable collection known. That were several possible reasons for the purchase of other items. A collector might be interested in all the coins purchased. A second reason was to make the purchase less obvious than simply a Smokey Joe coin. And Nick considered a third possible reason. "Any swap meets or conventions in the last month or two where an animal might have purchased a Smokey Joe coin, or traded for one?"

"Hmm... Good sized one, maybe two months ago. Hairloom Keepsakes ran it, they do three, maybe four shows a year. I had a table, usually do good business."

"Have a card for them?" Nick requested. "They'll have a list of dealers who purchased tables. Do you know if there's much trading going on among collectors who attend?"

"Quite a bit."

"And, before the Smokey Joe story broke, if someone had offered to trade you one of the more valuable coins you just sold for a Smokey Joe challenge medal, would you have done it?"

"In a heartbeat."

"Ouch."

Judy wanted to clarify what she thought she'd heard. "So, you're saying if a trade took place – between private hands – at the convention the killer could have picked up a Smokey Joe coin, and it would be virtually impossible to trace?"

"Pretty much. If we advertise the heck out of our search we might get an animal who made the trade, who might be able to remember the species of an animal who made the swap. And we might get two animals who made a trade of Smokey Joe medals, but not to the killer – but we wouldn't know that. And we might get four animals who didn't make a trade, but are sure they did – one of whom is a pathological liar, one of whom has a bad memory, and two of whom want publicity for themselves."

"Why do I sense you're not optimistic?"

"It's your finely honed detective instincts. But we still get the list of dealers at the swap meet and give them all calls."

At the end of the day they had a dealer who vaguely remembered trading a Smokey Joe and two other items for two of the more value items purchased from Kevin. With all the trading and exchanges at the coin-vention he didn't remember the species of the animal. Another dealer had done a trade by mail, a very fine Smokey Joe exchanged through the mail for the third of Kevin's coins before the convention. The letter were still on file, and the PO Box was the same as Kevin's sale.

Nick allowed himself to feel optimistic as he and Judy headed the post office after obtaining the letter from the dealer. Nick guessed there were no pawprints but those of the dealer on the letter, but renting the PO box could have been the killer's big mistake.

"The box was rented to a blind squirrel?" Judy asked in disbelief when the clerk answered the question of who rented the box.

"I didn't so it myself. It was so weird though that Themi told me about it. That's how I happened to remember it."

"Themi here today?" asked Nick.

"Yeah, I think he's still sorting mail in the back."

Themistocles still found renting a PO box to a blind squirrel hilarious. Neither Nick nor Judy thought it nearly as amusing.

"Another dead end?" Judy suggested as they left the post office.

"Maybe. I'm not giving up yet though. There's a chance the squirrel is a panhandler who has a little room at Michael's flop house."

"How do you know these things?"

"Years on the street. But if he's the squirrel I'm thinking of it means he'd have been happy to go into the Post Office for a small fee."

Nick called the identity of the blind squirrel; they found 'Slappy' on a street corner, cup in hand. He'd been given several bills, told go to the post office, rent a box, and return with a key. Two bills, each a ten were to be his. The animal at the post office had verified the two bills of payment were each tens. Based on his voice the squirrel seemed confident the animal who contacted him was taller than Nick.

"Anything odd about his speech pattern?" Judy asked. "Unusual words or sentence structure?"

"No... Not really."

"You were seeing if it was Duke?" Nick asked Judy.

"We have to ask."

"I think there is a chance Duke could probably speak better than he usually does," Nick said. "I think that accent may be an affectation."

"Who's this Duke? What's an affectation?" asked 'Slappy'.

"Duke's an animal with an unusual speech pattern. My partner was wondering if he might have been the animal who hired you. Thank you for your cooperation. If you remember anything that may be helpful, call the First precinct."

"Any reward?"

"Maybe."

"Where are we going," Judy asked as they left the blind squirrel.

"Back to the post office. The killer had to use the box himself. And there is a video camera!"

"And three months of tape to go through. I doubt they keep them that long."

"We can ask. And we know a couple dates when the challenge coins might have come."

Tapes were not kept for months. By a stroke of luck the days near the last sale had not yet been erased. Nick and Judy noted to location of the PO box and took the tapes back to the First for viewing. They stayed late, scanning through the tapes to find animals opening boxes in the proper area.

"Slow down! What happened?"

Judy stopped the tape and rewound it slightly. The image was grainy, as video tape usually is, but showed the Post Office interior clearly. It was late, and no animals were visible. Suddenly the image became wildly distorted and a figure entered and may have opened the box. The weird distortion made it impossible to tell anything for certain. "Don't know who the killer is," commented Nick. "But he's got Bellwether level smarts."

"And why do I have the feeling the video from the bus terminal will have the same problem?"

"That's one reason I haven't been in a hurry to view it, in case you were wondering."

"It seemed unusually lazy of you."


	7. Minnie the Moocher

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

I'll call Minnie the Moocher, from Cab Calloway in 1931, the start of Smokey Joe.

_She messed around with a bloke named Smokey_  
_She loved him though was cokey_  
_He took her down to Chinatown_  
_And he showed her how to kick the gong around_

**Minnie the Moocher**

Judy stopped the tape and rewound it slightly. The image was grainy, as video tape usually is, but showed the Post Office interior clearly. It was late, and no animals were visible. Suddenly the image became wildly distorted and a figure entered and may have opened the box. The weird distortion made it impossible to tell anything for certain. "Don't know who the killer is," commented Nick. "But he's got Bellwether level smarts."

"And why do I have the feeling the video from the bus terminal will have the same problem?"

"That's why I haven't been in a hurry to view it, in case you were wondering."

"It seemed unusually lazy of you."

"It may be hard for a pedal-to-the-metal rabbit to grasp, but there is a huge difference between the virtue of laid back patience and the vice of laziness."

"Sorry."

"If we'd found some hard evidence before we saw the detectives from the Fourth they'd have caved in immediately and... If they weren't idiots they'd have realized they were wrong and helped us find the killer. If we don't have hard evidence they will argue that Duke is the killer and we're mis-reading the evidence."

"But if the bus station tape shows Duke at the locker, and then it gets all distorted, doesn't that show Duke didn't do it? Why would he let himself be taped, then distort the tape?"

"He wouldn't. But Jonathan and David will argue he did it on purpose to create... I'm still trying to process how the killer got into the locker. I guess if he was distorting the image he had a little time – he didn't need to dodge the camera rotation – but those locks are supposed to be hard to pick."

"And maybe this would be the time to look at the bus station video and see what they have."

"Do you really believe the tape will show the killer?"

"No, I believe it will have the ghost effect."

"I want to see it. Did the killer get in easily, or was it a struggle? I want to time it."

"If he got in fast it will argue for Duke being guilty."

"Yeah, and that's why I want to try another thing first. It may not point to the killer, but I'd kind of like to know how the ghost video image is produced."

"You have any clue on that?"

"No, but I might have a useful contact." It took Nick a few minutes of rummaging around in his desk to find the business card and made a call.

"Amazing Talent, to whom may I direct your call?"

"Hi, my name's Nick Wilde and I'm hoping to speak with–"

"Nick Wilde? _The_ Nick Wilde? Do you need representation for speaking offers?"

"I guess I'm the Nick Wilde, but I need to talk with Carnac. He said call this number and his agent will–"

"Is he in some kind of trouble?"

"No trouble. I've got a question I'm hoping he can answer."

There was a moment of hesitation, "A question for Mister Sullivan, his agent, or Carnac?"

"Carnac."

"I... I'm supposed to route calls through an agent, but Mister Sullivan is out of town. Give me your number. I'll call Carnac and ask him to call you."

_"Should have gotten his cell phone number when he was here,"_ Nick thought. He glanced at the clock and wondered how long until, and if, there would be a return call.

Three minutes later Nick's phone rang.

"Is this really Nick Wilde?"

"Yep. You the magnificent one?"

"But I'm having trouble mystically ascertaining the answer to your question."

"Judy and I are working something and thought you could help."

"Nothing personal, but what were you wearing when we met?"

"I wasn't wearing anything, remember? I was in the car and Judy was the one in costume when–"

"You were naked while driving?"

"I didn't meet you until later! Judy was the one who gave you a warning."

The red panda laughed, "Yeah, you're you. You want my help? Seriously? That catching bullets thing is just a trick."

"Got a killer who's using some kind of gimmick and–"

"The Ghost of Smokey Joe? I thought there was an arrest."

"An arrest, but we think they got the wrong animal."

"I don't know anything that could help."

"We'd like to ask. You know everyone in the business so perhaps you can point us to someone with answers."

"Okay, but it'll cost you."

"Cost?"

"Yeah, you and Judy have to come over for a home-cooked meal."

"That's the cost?"

"It's really a cost for Judy, having to answer questions from the self-described biggest Judy Hopps fan in Zootpia."

Nick chuckled, "When?"

"Wife would skin me alive if I invited important guests this late in the day. Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"I guess so. Oh, fast question. Why did you name your daughter Cinnamon?"

"Wife's choice. Wanted to give a name that sounded Zootopian. I think she opened the spice drawer at random, but I'd have put my foot down if she suggested garlic. Oh, and call me Ping. You eat at my place, you call me Ping."

"Sounds good. Place and time?"

Judy looked up from her computer as Nick completed the call and hung up, "That was Carnac?"

"Yep."

"You said something about cost?"

"Yeah, and unfortunately you're paying it, I threw you under the bus."

"May I ask what you're talking about?"

"We're eating at his house tomorrow night. And apparently his daughter is still a fan of Judy Hopps. It must be tiring to have so much hero worship directed your way. Perfectly understandable of course. You are wonderful."

"I am flattered you think so. I fear you may be just a teensy bit biased, however."

"Not hardly. Hey, who is in a better position to offer an opinion on the Judy Hopps, the savior of Zootopia?"

Judy chuckled, then reminded him. "We can't find out where the killer bought the old ammunition. We found out where the challenge coins were purchased – and learned nothing. Do you really think figuring out the video technique will help us?"

"Won't know until we find out how it was done. Meanwhile, we might start thinking about which of the three animals who were killed was the target. I'm voting for number two."

"What are you talking about. Three animals were killed."

"And what they have in common was part of the cover story to frame Duke. The old Smokey Joe gang has nothing to do with the deaths."

"Care to explain?"

"You want to kill me–"

"Almost never."

"Let me finish. You want to kill me, but you're my," Nick dropped his voice to a whisper, since it was not supposed to be said loudly "wife." Nick's voice returned to normal. "So you'd be the obvious first suspect. So you kill a random animal with some elaborate or bizarre way that is very distinctive. Detectives try and figure out why that animal was killed. Then you kill me with the same distinctive MO. And then you kill a third. The poor detectives go nuts trying to figure out the links between the random victims and no one pays attention to the fact you wanted me bumped off for my life insurance."

"How much are you insured for?"

"Bundles. Bundles and bundles. You aren't going to kill me unless there is big money involved. At least in the story. Real life? Not so much. Never be worth more to your spouse dead than you are alive."

"But the problem with your story, Mister Wilde, is that the three animals weren't totally random. There was sort of a link between them."

"Exactly, but only to confuse the detectives with, my dear. You find out something on your intended victim, and find a couple other animals that fit the profile. You all like peanut butter mint ice cream, and eat it every Thursday at dinner. You all three drive white cars that are five years old and have a bald tire on the left rear. The detectives are so caught up in what the three victims have in common they can't consider anything else. We found that it wasn't too hard for bright animals, such as ourselves, to find information on descendants of former members of the gang."

"And that, in turn, makes the detectives look for someone who had an old grudge against the gang. Someone like Duke."

"Bingo."

"You said your money was on the second victim?"

"That's my opinion. You don't kill your real victim in the number one spot. There's a chance the detectives might discover your motive before you can start the confusion. First a random victim, then the intended victim, then and finish off with another random victim to further establish the pattern and leave on a confusing note."

Judy thought a moment. "Maybe. I'm going with number three. Get the detectives good and confused with the first two, so the fox will ignore the real victim and waste his time on number two."

"What does the winner get?"

"Anything she, or he, wants from the loser."

"Why do I have the feeling that if the real victim is number three I'll be re-arranging furniture, again?"

"Because you're brilliant. And you agreed it needs to be done."

"Ah, that was my mistake."

"And if you're right, what will you have me do?"

Nick grinned broadly and gave her a wink.

_"Oh no!"_ thought Judy. "You mean..."

"Exactly, no complaints if Eric hands out cigars next poker night at our place.

* * *

The next day Nick began gathering information on the second victim. Judy on the third.

Cinnamon took four selfies with Judy and asked, by Nick's estimate, about ten-thousand questions. He thought she might be in competition with Judy's sister Susan for the longest period of time of talking without breathing while excited.

Judy found the adulation slightly embarrassing, and would have estimated the number of questions Ping's daughter asked at thirty-nine.

Ping's wife cleared the table after the meal and Cinnamon was told to go and do homework so her father could talk with the detectives.

"I think I lured you here under false pretenses," the red panda told them as they moved to the living room. "There's no way I can help you with how the killer distorted the video images."

"I told you, I have faith you'll help."

"It's an electronics special effect. I don't work with that kind of stuff. You want to saw an elephant in half on stage, or make a giraffe disappear in front of a live studio audience and I'm your animal. I can't tell you how that effect was done."

"I know why Nick called. You can't explain how it was done," Judy agreed. "But I'll bet you know the animals who work with special effects for television. We have no idea who a good reference source would be. If you make an introduction you've helped us."

Carnac thought a moment. "Okay... I don't work a lot with those kind of techies myself, but my buddy Jerry does. I'll give him a call." Six minutes later the red panda had three names and phone numbers.

There was no answer when they tried to call the first number.

The second reference sounded slightly annoyed at being disturbed, until he discovered the call came from Carnac, Nick Wilde, and Judy Hopps. "Seriously? You're not shitting me?"

"Seriously," Ping assured him. "They had some questions for a crime they're investigating and thought I might be able to help. I had no clue, but I called Jerry Porker and he said you knew everything about special effects and–"

"Wondered how you got my number. Jerry, huh?"

"Yep. Think you could answer a question?"

"I could try."

"I'm handing the phone to Judy."

"Er, hello, Mister," Judy frantically looked at the name on the sheet of paper, "...Stalker. You've seen the reports on the killer they're calling the Ghost of Smokey Joe?"

"Yes... You're wondering about the image distortion?"

"Exactly! Do you have any idea how to create that?"

"Hmmm... I'm pretty sure I can create something similar with my equipment. It's actually not too hard. But the cameras taking the pictures would have to be tampered with to do it, and I assume the police have checked out the cameras."

"Tampered with how? How would you create a similar effect?"

"Its a little hard to explain over the phone. Any chance you could come to my studio? I can show you."

"When?"

"Now, if you have the time."

Judy looked at Ping and Nick, "Want a demonstration? Now?" Both nodded yes. "Absolutely," she agreed. "Give us the address? How long?"

Twelve minutes later the trio stood outside the address they'd received. A large car pulled up and a tiger got out. "It's really you," he said with a note of disbelief.

"Who were you expecting?"

"Got an assistant who thinks practical jokes are funny," the tiger said as he unlocked the door and gestured them into the building. "Would have been an ex-assistant if you hadn't been here."

It only took a couple minutes to set up the equipment. "So fast?" Judy asked in disbelief.

"He knows his stuff, that's why Jer gave us the recommendation," Carnac reminded her.

The tiger told the magician, "Okay, walk across the studio to that ladder over there while we watch the monitor. I think this will do it."

Nick let us breath out slowly as he watched the monitor. "That's it! How?"

"Digital recording," the tiger explained. "Magnetically you can distort the image. A conventional movie camera wouldn't show anything different, just a red walking across a studio."

Carnac came over and watched the recording. "Nailed it," he assured the tiger. "But you said something about tampering? How difficult would it be?"

"Easy, and hard. Magnetic field will do it, easy. But most magnetic fields just aren't big enough to be effective. You'd have to get the magnet right up close; that would be the tricky part."

"Still more than we had a half hour ago," Nick told him. "Any chance we could get a copy of this tape? Could we call on you again if we have another question?"

"Sure," the tiger assured them. "Glad to help. But no copy of the tape." He hit the eject button. "You can have the original."

"Thanks," Judy told him.

"But we'll give you a warning," added Nick. "If we need to call an expert witness for how this was done, you're it."

The tiger reminded them, "I reproduced the effect. But mine takes a magnet right by the camera. I'm not certain how your ghost did his."

They thanked the tiger and turned to Ping's car. As the red panda drove them back to his home he told them, "Got a big performance coming up. Huge. I had an idea for something... Any chance I might be able to use Fox Male and Rabbit in my show?"

"No way," represented Nick's opinion.

"Would pay five grand."

"Five thousand for a night's work?"

"You don't want to know what I'm making."

Judy nudged Nick, "We could give the five thousand to charity... Childhood cancer research."

"Now who's using guilt?" answered Nick.

"That was five grand each," Ping told them.

"We'll think about it," Judy promised.

On the ride back to their apartment the offer of the performance wasn't mentioned. Judy thought Nick's mind was probably on the case. She'd let the suggestion of giving to cancer research percolate in his head for a couple days, and suspected he'd bring it up again by himself. She wanted his opinion on what the tiger had shown them, "Well, what did you think about the video imaging distortion?"

"I think we need to talk with Jonathan and David. This had to be the way the image was distorted. I want to know if they examined the cameras... It would have been hard to get to that one in the bus station."

"True."

"But there are no ghosts. It was tampered with. Maybe a squirrel with good vision climbed up."

"We will not remove squirrels from the species of possible interest in the murders."


	8. 2Pac: Minnie the Moocher

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Tupac Shakur added to the Minnie and Smokey mythos early in his career.

_Then one day their relationship stopped_  
_When Smokey was killed by MIC Cops_  
_Minnie was hurt, lost without a clue_  
_To her, there was no chance of gettin' somebody new_

**Minnie the Moocher**

Nick tried planning strategy before calling Jonathan and David, the Fourth precinct detectives, who'd worked the Smokey Joe murders. Calling them idiots would not bring positive results. At the moment he couldn't think of a greeting that didn't sound like an accusation they were idiots, but knew he needed one. He could ask Kane and Able to make introductions. Of course that would sound like he was talking about Jonathan and David behind their backs, which was not a good way to start a conversation. Nor could he be sure if the two pairs of detectives were on good relations with each other. If there was friction the introduction would not go well. There was a chance, if the two pairs were friendly, it might strain the relationship. _"Kane's a bit of a know-it-all,"_ Nick thought, then grinned, _"it takes one to know one. But I don't want to mess up a good relationship at the Fourth."_

The phone was answered, "Fourth precinct."

"Hey, Nick Wilde here at the First, and–"

"Seriously?"

"Why, you got a problem with me calling the Fourth?"

"No, Sorry, I– You and Detective Hopps worked with Kane and Able on that big bust. If you want to talk with them, they're out on a case."

"Thanks, but I'm wanting to talk with detectives Jonathan and David, have some information on the Smokey Joe case they worked. They in?"

"Let me... Yeah. I'll connect you."

After a few seconds wait, "Jack Jonathan here. Nick Wilde?"

"Yeah, I–"

"Said you had something on the Smokey Joe murders?"

"Yes, I was looking at–"

"Not your case. We got the killer."

***Click***

_"Well that worked even worse than I expected,"_ reflected Nick. _"And I wasn't expecting it to go well."_

Judy looked up at Nick from her desk. "I'm going to guess that didn't go well."

"Carrots, it could have gone five hundred times better than it did, and it would still have gone lousy," concurred Nick.

"Going to call in the big guns?" asked Judy.

"Not unless I have to. Going to the Police Commissioner would almost guarantee them trying to sabotage things. They've got information we need, even if they've interpreted it wrong."

Nick went back to finding on-line information on the second murder victim and looking for another angle to use to open a dialogue with the detectives at the Fourth when his phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Nick. A detective from the Fourth. Says his name it Eli David."

"Thanks, Ben. Put him through." Nick switched lines, "Hi, Nick Wilde here. Detective David?"

"Yes. My partner was a little abrupt, and–"

A loud voice could be heard behind David, "They're inexperienced, green, glory-grabbers!"

"–our dispatcher said you claimed to have information on the Smokey Joe case?"

"Hopps and I have done some digging, come up with a few things that don't seem to fit what we know of Duke Weaselton – we do probation checks on him – and, well, we aren't sure he got the brains for this. We're hoping you can reassure us that–"

"Be honest. You think we messed up."

The voice in the background was heard again, "We got the right weasel!"

"I don't want to say messed up. I think Weaselton was framed, and you found exactly what you were supposed to find."

"And you have evidence?"

"A little evidence... Not enough to convince your partner, I'm sure. But also have some questions. Hey, Hopps hates Weaselton and would love to see him in prison – but even she doesn't think he did this. Tell your partner what we have will be issues the defense attorney will raise. If prosecution doesn't have an answer the case could go south fast. Even if you think Weaselton did it, it might be a good idea for us to get together and go over the case."

"To be honest, Wilde–"

"Call me Nick, please."

"To be honest, Nick, this thing did feel kind of screwy. The evidence all points to Weaselton–"

Background voice, "Because he's guilty!"

"–but some things... I'd like to see what you have, and hear your theory. That framing theory–"

"The weasel's guilty," came the voice-over.

"–One work for you?"

"We'll be there at one. I'd like to see the bus station video, and we've got a couple for you."

"Not sure what the bus station video will tell you."

"Probably the same thing our tapes will show you."

With Judy's help the pair made it to the Fourth a bit before one. His own conviction that Duke had not committed the murders made it easier to convince the fox that punctuality was not a sin.

"Conference room three," the desk sergeant told them on arrival.

An eland was already in the room, checking out the video equipment, when they arrived. At least Nick thought he was an eland, he sometimes had trouble keeping large antelopes straight in his head.

"Hi," Nick greeted the animal, "Nick Wilde."

"Eli David," responded the eland. "Call me Eli, or Ed. And this, of course, is Judy Hopps."

"The rabbit who needs no introduction," the fox agreed.

"Call me Judy, please. Um, based on Nick's phone call this morning, he wasn't sure if your partner will be here."

"Uh, JJ will..." He looked at Nick, "Were you able to hear him in the background?"

The fox nodded his head. "Lot of detectives think Judy and I got promoted too fast. Truth be known, it's probably true. And we probably have been lucky. But I don't think either of us have wanted all the publicity we get, I know I'd prefer not to have it."

The eland relaxed visibly, "That was JJ, not me."

"And let me tell you, Judy works damn hard."

"So do you," the rabbit said.

"I don't work any harder than I need to," replied Nick.

The eland dropped his voice slightly, on the off-chance his partner might come in during the conversation, "Dawn Bellwether and Hook MacKenzie? You two handled two of the biggest cases Zootopia has seen in–"

The door opened and a large feline walked in. Neither Nick nor Judy recognized the species immediately. There were a couple feline species which were less common, and a few hybrids, like ligers or tigons. But it wasn't polite to question an animal's parentage. "Okay, I'm here. Let's get the farce over," growled the new-comer.

"Manners, JJ," his partner chided. "I'd like to see and hear what Nick and Judy have."

"I would like to see your tape of the bus terminal, if you don't mind," requested the fox.

"It doesn't show anything worthwhile. When Weaselton goes back to his locker the second time the image does that ghost effect."

"If it does the ghost effect, how do you know it's Duke Weaselton?"

"Because he opened Duke Weaselton's locker! We checked with animal in charge of the rental lockers. They're virtually impossible to pick."

"We talked with the animal in charge too," Nick told him. "The funny thing is, a whole bunch of lockers opened up at exactly the same time as Duke's."

"What?"

"We have the print-out," Nick said, and pulled the paper from a folder. "Now, if fourteen or fifteen other animals were opening all the lockers around him at exactly the same time then you may be able to get a witness to Duke opening his locker – if Duke opened his locker. But if fourteen or fifteen lockers all popped open at the same time, and only one–"

JJ was scanning the print-out, "Run the tape, Ed, we need to check this."

The ghost effect made it difficult to tell anything for certain. Even the time stamp on the image suffered some distortion during the interval someone was in front of the station lockers.

"It doesn't prove Weaselton didn't do it," argued the feline.

"Never claimed it did," countered the fox. "By the way, have a clue how the ghost effect was done?"

"No. And it doesn't matter."

"Maybe, maybe not. Judy, the post office tape?" As Judy handed the video tape of the post office to the eland, Nick explained. "We figured out how the killer got the Smokey Joe medals. He–"

"Duke didn't get them from his grandmother? That... What do you have?"

"The medals are collectibles, and some animal did a very good job of keeping his identity hidden as he purchased or traded for the challenge coins."

"Some animal, do you know the animal you claim obtained the medals?"

"No."

"So, it could have been Weaselton?"

"I suppose so, but we have a few other things to show you and ask about." He looked at Detective David. "Ready to play?"

"Yes."

"Hit it. This is where an anonymous animal rented a Post Office box. Smokey Joe medals, purchased by an animal the dealers never saw, had the medals sent there." On the television monitor the image performed the same distortion that had been seen on the bus terminal video.

"It's Weaselton again," insisted detective Jonathan."

Judy handed another video tape over to the antelope and requested, "Play this, please."

The monitor showed the same ghostly image.

"Where's that one from?" asked Detective David.

"And you can't say you know it wasn't the weasel," insisted Detective Jonathan.

"Actually, we can say for sure that wasn't Duke Weaselton," insisted Judy. "You've heard of Carnac the Magnificent?"

"The magician? Sure. He figured out how to distort the image like that?"

"That was Carnac in the video," Nick told them. "And he had no idea how it was done, but he put us in touch with a special effects animal who put this together in a couple minutes."

"So, what's your point?" Jonathan asked, and the tone of his voice suggested real curiosity and not mocking.

"We're pretty sure Duke doesn't have the brains to figure this out. Unfortunately our special effects animal isn't really sure how the killer was able to do it. Our expert held the video camera as he filmed Carnac. The killer knows something about special effects and lockers."

"I'm not giving up on Weaselton being the killer," Jonathan said firmly. "But what else have you got? Anything more definite than this?"

"Probably no hard evidence. Judy and I feel pretty sure the real killer wanted everyone to think Duke did it. The information on Smokey Joe is out on the web, and Duke sometimes showed his old medal and spun stories of the mob for the curious. That's probably why he was picked for a patsy by–"

"Like you said, no hard evidence. Theories all you got?"

"A few more questions. What's the motive?"

"Motive?"

"Yeah, you know. Why would Duke commit the murders? He's the dictionary definition of habitual petty crook. Why would he suddenly turn murderer and go after descendants of the old Smokey Joe mob? What's in it for him? Why revive a mob war that ended half a century ago?"

The eland nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I've been trying to figure that out."

"Weaselton's grandfather was the head of the Weaseloni mob. He was murdered."

"But no evidence it had anything to do with Smokey Joe's gang. It was years after that fight was over."

Jonathan wasn't through trying, "Maybe some former member of Joe's gang was responsible."

"How would Duke find it out, can you find any other animal in the city who's has heard it? Why those three animals – there're other descendants of Smokey Joe gangsters around? Did you turn up that Duke's grandmother is still alive? The one who took over after her husband was killed? By the way, you don't want to know her opinion of you."

"You talked with her?" David asked.

"Absolutely. And the defense attorney is going to ask why Duke would arbitrarily try to restart a gang war, why he would create evidence pointing at himself, while hiding his identity by electronic technology the prosecution can't explain, what he could possibly gain from it, why the old ammunition... Do you even know the shell casing were used in the murder weapon?"

"Huh?"

"Old ammunition. Would you trust it not to jam in an automatic? If you used it in a revolver the casing wouldn't be ejected. Could the killer have used a revolver and then deliberately dumped the casing? or even used an automatic, but pocketed the real casings and dumped old casings?"

The large feline looked puzzled, "Why would a killer do that?"

"To make the police wonder if there was some old vendetta that was being revived and get them looking for some animal like Duke Weaselton instead of looking for the real motive for the murders."

"The caliber of the bullets used to kill the victims matched the caliber of the casings at the crime scene," Jonathan told them.

"But did we ask forensics to see if the bullets matched the..." Detective David began, "Can they even do that?"

"We're going to ask," Jonathan agreed. He looked at Nick and Judy. "Weaselton's the killer. But we're opening this again. We'll keep working it until we have the lid nailed tight on the case against him."

"You're trying to help the killer frame Weaselton, or you're looking for the killer?" retorted Nick.

"He is the killer, damn it!" shouted the feline.

"How about a little calm," suggested the eland.

"An excellent idea," seconded Judy.

Eli looked at his partner, "Why don't we start with listening to their theories, see if they have anything that makes sense?"

The large feline nodded an irritated agreement, "I want it from the rabbit."

Judy decided it might be good not to give Nick the credit at this moment and began, "We're considering the possibility that only one of the three was real victim." She talked for several minutes.

David looked thoughtful at the end of her presentation. "I still haven't given up on Duke Weaselton being the killer. Killing two other animals just to try and hide the real motive? That... I'd hate to think of any animal that callous."

"Unless there is something really big behind it," observed Nick.

Judy asked, "You two researched the three victims. Find any other connection among them besides Smokey Joe? Could the killer have been... No the chances they'd have mob ancestors and another connection doesn't seem possible."

"I still think the mob connection may be important," David suggested. "Maybe some fourth descendant of a mob member. Maybe there was to be some four-way split of loot their ancestors buried... Why bury good money for fifty years? The criminals would want to spend it now." He looked at his partner, "Whataya say, JJ? Look a little more? Consider Weaselton may have been framed?"

"I still think Weaselton's guilty. But we need more details on how he did it so this will stick. We call forensics... Yeah, I want to know more about the bullets. That... The lockers. Those magnetic locks were supposed to be secure. And the video distortion..." He looked at Judy. "How did your special effects expert do that distortion? I want to talk with him or her."

Nick answered, "Something to do with magnets, he said the problem was that magnetic fields were too weak for him to..."

The four animals looked at each other across the table. The card keys for the station lockers used magnetic strips. The special effects had been created with a magnetic field.

"Ed and I are still running this show," Detective Jonathan said firmly, "but a little help may tighten things up. I think Weaselton's guilty. But I'm checking with forensics on the bullets. I'm going to talk with the company that makes the locks. I'll need the name of your special effects animal. The mob family is the only connection we could find between the three victims. Ed, look for anything else that could get three descendants of Smokey Joe gang members killed – by an animal who'd want to frame the killings on Weaselton. Hopps, Wilde, can you get some time to help with this?"

"I think so," Judy told him.

"I believe you said you were gathering background on the third victim, Doyun Park? We'll give you what we have, it may be things you haven't found, but I'll be honest. By the time he was killed we focused more on finding a Smokey Joe connection than anything else and we may not have much for you. Wilde, you were working... Okay, maybe Ed and I started concentrating on the Smokey Joe angle too soon when it came up on the second victim. Still doesn't mean the weasel is innocent. Maybe he's going for an insanity plea. Second victim, Matt Shells... What was he studying at the University again? He was in a grad program in electrical engineering wasn't he?"

"Yeah, doing research on electromagnetism."

Another pause. "And I suspect we'll all start reading up on that," the feline grunted.


	9. Moocher from the Future

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Another Minnie without Smokey Joe, this one from Jeffrey Lewis in 2009.

_But Minnie the Moocher from the future_  
_Could turn space into whatever kind of face would suit ya_  
_The rainbow's bend was what her contact lens was_  
_So she knew what the color glowing in each of her friends was_

**Minnie the Moocher from the Future**

As Judy drove back to the First she commented to her unusually silent husband, "Glad you're not being smug."

"Smug?"

"Calling it right on Matt Shells being the killer's real victim."

"Don't know that I am right."

"The magnetic angle. That has to be it!"

"Maybe. Probably. At the moment I'm kicking myself for screwing up."

"Your wife, who is complementing you for your brilliance, is stunned by this unexpected and, to her, entirely unwarranted show of humility."

"Maybe Jonathan was right, maybe I was promoted too–"

"You will kindly stop the self-recrimination and explain – or I'll stop the car and use some extreme interrogation technique on you."

"We aren't allowed to use those any more, remember?"

"We aren't allowed to use them on suspects. I believe using them on your spouse might be accepted."

"Gonna threaten to withhold sex?"

"Seriously, Nick, I don't understand what you're upset about."

"The only reason we know Duke isn't guilty is because we know Duke; we know he's no murderer. If we didn't know Duke, would we just be applauding Jonathan and David for catching the killer? If we didn't know Duke, would we have accepted the evidence without realizing it was a frame? And they're right about one thing. I mean, yeah, Jonathan's wrong to still think Duke did it. But I jumped to my theory without questioning if there could be some other sort of connection between the three victims – and Duke was just a convenient patsy for the real killer."

Judy was silent for a minute. "Stop trying to be perfect. Difference between you and Jonathan? He couldn't admit he could be wrong. He's still looking for evidence to convict Duke. He mentioned an angle you hadn't considered. Stop beating yourself up for not having considered everything in the world. They called it wrong with Duke, but they're good detectives. They just missed things. It can happen to any of us. Next time maybe we'll bring in the wrong... And, if we do, I hope we take it better than Detective Jonathan did."

* * *

Back at the Fourth Detective David asked his partner, "What's your problem with Wilde? I thought he and Hopps had some good points. You're not still brooding because you voted for Lionheart in the recall, are you?"

Jonathan shrugged, "Not sure. He just rubs me the wrong way. And they were promoted too fast."

"They're doing great work, you need... Is this that feline – canid thing? Honestly are your species ever going to evolve? He and the mayor are buds. Lighten up. Even if you hate his guts it's not a good idea to insult a detective with friends in high places."

"I don't hate his guts, I just... I just really hope Weaselton is the killer."

"Hope? You don't sound as sure as you did."

"At the very least there're more things we should have done with the investigation. I just don't want the smug bastard to be right and rub it in."

"Smug bastard? You sure you don't hate his guts?"

"A term of endearment. And after I call forensics to see if they can match the bullets with the shell casings I'll take my smug bastard partner out for a cup of coffee and we re-strategize."

* * *

As Judy parked the car at their precinct house Nick laughed. His better mood encouraged Judy, "What's so funny, Slick? Realize your wife is right?"

"You being right is a given. You remind me of the fact constantly. Just realized something. While you're researching Doyun Park tomorrow I'll need to head over the to U for more info on Matt Shells. I'll need to talk with Terry and–"

"Finnick's brother, why... Oh, he's in the Electrical Engineering program."

"So he's bound to know some gossip that may be handy. And, of course, I should really stop by the Registrar's Office to thank Yvonne for her help with Nathan Almond. She can also probably give me from help with Shells."

"No."

"No, she didn't help us with Nathan Almond? Or, no, she wouldn't have information on Shells?"

"No to going to the Registrar's office. She's a flirt, and you encourage her!"

"That was all stage dressing so you could see the information we needed. You know that."

"I... Sorry, I just don't like pretty vixens throwing themselves at you."

"Okay if ugly vixens throw themselves at me? Not that I necessarily want an ugly vixen throwing herself at me."

"I've never seen an ugly vixen."

"Eric has a cousin you... Never mind. As I think about it, she was nice looking. Her looks were not the issue, but the one blind date was one too many. And Yvonne did not throw herself at me, a little harmless flirting while you 'secretly' accessed the information we needed on Almond."

"It's silly, I know... I..."

"You don't trust me?"

"I trust you."

"Ah, you don't trust Yvonne?"

"Not sure. I mean, you are so incredibly handsome and wonderful. I imagine any vixen would find you charming."

"Flattery will get you everywhere. May I point out, however, that my social life was pretty much in the toilet until a beautiful bunny threw herself at me – and because my sainted mother always told me it was bad luck to drop a female... I will point out, in defense of Mom's mental condition, that she didn't know Eric's cousin. I strongly suspect that, had... Sheila... Her name was Sheila. I suspect if Mom had known her I'd have been granted permission to drop her."

"Forgetting Sheila–"

"I've certainly been doing my best. Although it's a bit like one of those horror movies you watch as a child, and then it gives you nightmares for years."

"You make it sound like... I mean, yes I threw myself at you. But your saying you only fell in love with me because your mother taught you to be courteous? That a terrible reason for you to marry me!"

"I would describe the catching as mutual. You were something of a pain in the rear when we met."

"And you weren't?"

"That too was mutual." He grabbed Judy and pulled her close, hugging the rabbit. "And now I love you more than anyone or anything else in the world." He ran his muzzle along her sensitive ears, in a way he knew from experience would...

Panting slightly she managed to push herself away. "Hold that thought," she gasped. "Got a couple more... Bad luck to make love on duty."

"I suppose," he replied with an exaggerated sigh. "Now, having confessed my deep and passionate love to you, do I have permission to do my job tomorrow? I really should go by the Registrar's Office and find the names of some of Shells' professors."

"Of course. I... Maybe I'm still insecure. I can't believe a handsome and sophisticated big-city fox can really love a small-town hick like–"

Nick put a paw over her mouth to keep her from talking, "I hope I've never said a word to make you think that. You are wonderful. Period. Do I deserve your love? Maybe not, but I know you love me and I'm not going to whip myself and declare, 'I am not worthy! I am not worthy!'. You need your carrot pen with the built-in recorder and want me to repeat what I just said about you being the most important animal in my life?"

"No. I guess I'm just not used to being a wife. I think jealousy is a _faux pas_, like using the wrong fork or something. I trust you completely and won't ask if Yvonne flirted with you tomorrow."

"You're not coming with me?"

"I'm researching Doyun Park, remember?"

"But you said you agree with me that Shells is the primary victim. And Yvonne and I might need you to do your stealth reading. She's got restrictions on what information she can give... Maybe if I got a court order... Maybe it's different if the police want to see the records of a murdered animal. Anyway, in case, I figured you should be there if I needed to distract her so you could see the records again."

"Distract, as in flirting with her?" chuckled Judy.

"Tough being a cop," Nick assured her. "It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it."

"Come on, martyr," sighed Judy. "We need to report to Alces and get formal permission to work on this."

* * *

"Report from forensics," Detective Jonathan told his partner the next day. He opened the email and read it.

After a couple minutes of silence David asked, "Well?"

"Says he can't remember ever being asked the question before. Strike markings on the shell casings are all from the same gun. If we get a gun for testing they'll have no trouble matching it up with the shell casings or not. It'll take more testing to see if the bullets match could have come from the shells found at the scenes, but the initial testing all looks negative."

"So Nick's right, the old casings were just there to throw us off?"

"Wait 'til the tests are done before we declare him right. For the time being that's a maybe. Did you call the tiger who does special effects?"

"Yeah, we'll meet him at his studio at two. List of questions to ask him ready?"

"It's roughed out, got a couple hours to look it over and see if I missed anything. I'll email you a copy to look over too."

* * *

Judy and Nick stopped at Campus Security to check in before starting their day at Zoo U.

"I heard they'd arrested some weasel for the murders."

"They did, but there are still some questions that need to be answered," explained Nick.

The rabbit listed their main goals, talking with a student they knew in the program and getting names of friends, colleagues, and professors and interviewing as many of them as possible on Shells' most recent activities.

"Hope to start with the Registrar's office," Nick told the animal at the desk. "Do we need a campus officer to go along with us? Thud Crusher available? I've worked with him a couple times."

"He's out... Technically I'm supposed to assign an officer to help you, but we're a little short today. You know the locations for the Registrar and Double-E? Can I just give you a campus map and a phone number to call if you need help?"

"We know where the Registrar is," Judy assured him. "And we were on campus a lot recently so we probably can find everything we need."

"Okay then, good luck."

From Security they walked to the Registrar's Office in the central administration building.

Luck was with them. A pretty vixen looked up from her keyboard. "Hello, stranger," she greeted Nick in a throaty tone.

"I just couldn't stay away," Nick answered with a smile. "Such a pity we only meet under unpleasant circumstances."

"Doesn't have to be that way," she purred, "or is your fiancée the jealous type?"

"I fear she is."

Yvonne laughed. "Nick, Judy, good to... No, I suppose it isn't. Matt Shells? There was an arrest, wasn't there?"

"There was an arrest, but the investigation is continuing. So, yes, have some questions on Shells. You were so helpful with Nathan Almond–"

"Oh, what is the word on him? Will he be charged with the drug ring?"

"Looks that way, he's still claiming he was forced to cooperate. We'll see what a jury thinks."

Nick leaned over and put his elbows on the counter separating the visitor's area from the Registrar's work space, "Any chance of some casual flirting while Judy does the real work?"

Yvonne leaned down opposite him, their noses almost touching, "You suggest we do that in front of Judy, when you claimed she is a jealous fiancée?"

"I suspect things would be infinitely worse if we flirted behind her back."

"True. The question, however, is whether this constitutes official police business or not. Your questions on Almond weren't."

"This is official."

The vixen straightened up. "Sorry, my job description calls for me to cooperate with officers in the discharge of their duties. Flirtation would be inappropriate."

Judy laughed, "You ruined his day. He was so looking forward to taking a break while I did the work."

"If you did it last time, it should be his turn to take notes this time, right?"

"Absolutely," agreed the rabbit.

Yvonne typed commands on the keyboard to bring up Matt Shells class information, as she typed she asked, "I'm not sure what you're looking for here. His classes would have nothing to do with a mob grandfather."

"His grandfather may have had nothing to do with Shells' murder."

"But... That makes no sense, It would be way too much of a coincidence for three random animals to have family with–"

"We're considering the possibility that it might not be random. Shells might have been the real target, with the other animals being killed to confuse the police," explained Judy. "Oh, and were you a student here? Maybe you could give us some insight into grad student politics."

"Business major, undergraduate. I worked in the office here as a student and got hired for real after graduation. Might know something about students in," she turned the monitor toward Nick, with Shells classes showing on the screen, "MBA program. He was in Double-E, afraid I can't tell you a thing."

Judy and Yvonne chatted as Nick copied information in his notebook. He occasionally asked the vixen to explain some of the university's abbreviations on the record.

"That didn't take as long as expected," Judy commented as they left the Registrar's. "It's almost an hour until we see Terry. See if there is anyone in the Electrical Engineering building now?"

"Nah. Terry may give us some good dope on who to talk with. I say we wait until after we see him."

"So what do we do now?"

"Well, I had planned to spend more time flirting with Yvonne... Obviously that didn't work out as planned. I suggest we head to the Student Union and check out their coffee. See if they have biscotti and we share a cozy corner and I tell you how much I love my wife."

"You make it quite impossible for this bunny to turn down your invitation."

Terry met them in the Union, and they ordered another round.

"Did you know Matt Shells?" Nick asked.

"Oh yeah. Great animal. I mean, I didn't know him well. But he was a TA in the department. I had a couple classes he taught. Fucking brilliant! Smarter than half the professors. I can't believe... " Terry sighed.

"I want to know about professors he was especially close to, or friends you know about. But you say he was brilliant?"

The fennec nodded.

"I heard the usual time in the graduate program was three or four years."

"Usually, yeah."

"He'd been in the program around twice that."

Terry shrugged, "Averages are artificial... But yeah, some of us talked about that. He was teaching... We figured they wanted to make him a professor. Some of us thought they were abusing him, having him teach classes as a TA because you can pay them lousy and no benefits. One idea was they were hoping for one of the old farts to retire so there'd be a position open to offer him. I didn't know him really well, but even if you're really smart sometimes your research falls apart and it can take longer to finish... And with his teaching load, that probably slowed him down too. And another theory was medical delay."

"Medical delay? Did he have a health problem," asked Judy.

"No, it's... See, if you do your research at Zoo U the university will patent any discovery you make – since you're using the U facilities and everything. So, particularly in the medical college the rumor is that if some student or professor makes a big discovery they'll keep it quiet until they get out in the real world. Then they can sell it to a drug company or some business for a pile of dough. Students call it a medical delay 'cause it seems to happen there more."

"Does it happen in Electrical Engineering?"

"Could. If you thought you had a billion dollar idea you'd keep it really quiet."

"Any hint that Shells might have reason for a 'medical' delay?"

"If he did, he kept it quiet. At least he kept it quiet to a nobody in the department like me. A really good friend might have heard something. His main adviser... If I had an idea worth millions I wouldn't tell my adviser. Still, if the adviser was watching Matt closely, he might have seen some sudden shift in research that might mean something."

Nick asked, "General gossip around the department, not necessarily on Shells? I remember hearing one prof was way too full of himself and some grad student had a ton of parking violations."

"No idea who had the parking violations. Self-important prof might be Professor Plum. He's department head. In some departments they pass it around because no one wants the job. I think he likes the title and the other instructors just let him keep it. He's a pain in the tail, but should have all the inside files on Matt."

Judy consulted the sheet, "Giles Green was his primary advisor. What about him?"

"Microelectronics. His students think he's the greatest professor in the world... He's... Maybe he's the one you heard was full of himself. Not my specialty, so maybe that's why I wasn't as impressed. He's was Matt's dissertation advisor? I think I saw Matt hanging around more with Wendell White in power engineering."

"How many specialties are there?"

"Around ten."

"How many involve electromagnetism?"

"All of them. Some more than others. It's pretty fundamental. Power might be... Ask a professor, I can't say for sure."

"Other professors you saw him around often? Friends in the department?"

"Pretty sure he was buds with Milton Mustard. I heard there was a party at Milt's place the night Matt was killed. Faculty and grad students were there to celebrate, Milt had just finished his doctorate."

"Yep," confirmed Nick. "Other friends?"

"I think he was tight with Penelope Peacock, Penny's one of the few females in the–"

"Peacock?" asked Judy.

"I've got no idea why dingos would have that as a family name, ask her."

"Did their relationship seem particularly close?"

"No... Penny's everyone's friend. Matt was kind of... Okay, I don't know if I should say this or not."

Judy gave her opinion, "Say it."

"Okay, morning we heard Matt had been shot – before we heard about the Smokey Joe thing – someone said his ex-female must have shot him."

"Name for her?"

"Scarlett. Scarlett Rivers. I think she's a grad student in literature or philosophy or some other useless subject."

After leaving Terry a fast call to Yvonne identified Scarlett as an art history grad student.

The duo held a fast planning session before beginning interviews with faculty and friends.

Judy voiced her opinion, "I think we can rule out Scarlett Rivers. While females, or males, who are scorned can be furious enough to kill I think there was too much planning on this."

"Bottom of the list. Agreed. For possible motives I think we should add professional jealousy to the list, if Matt Shells was a smart as Terry thinks. And the chance he might have discovered something potentially valuable and was trying to keep it hidden and someone killed him to take advantage."

"Which could overlap with the professional jealousy, even if he couldn't sell patent rights for a great discovery a professor might want to pad his own résumé with it."

"Or get tenure. The party at Milton Mustard's place could be important, but probably won't be."

"Important? Oh, any animal who left before Shells would be potential killer. Any animal who stayed later has a solid alibi. That's important."

"True, in theory. But we think Shells was there to the end. Any faculty members who were there likely left earlier, I suspect only a couple animals were left by the end. Even Mustard theoretically could have run ahead and... Ah, who would know that Shells was at the party that night, to be able to lay an ambush?"

"Any animal at the party?"

"It may be more important than I figured."

* * *

The tiger finished his explanation to Jonathan and David, "...so, even a very powerful magnet still has a rather limited field."

"We'll examine the video cameras for tampering," promised Detective David.

Detective Jonathan asked, "Hypothetically, if some animal figured out how to extend, or even shape, a magnetic field – valuable?"

"I'd guess worth a fortune."


	10. Smokey Joe's Café

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

Shortening this story due to lack of reviews. The storyline needed another ten chapters for proper resolution. I wanted to abbreviate it down to one final chapter, but realized there was no way to do that as I began writing this. So there will be another chapter. I am wimping out, but I don't abandon a story.

Supposedly a real café in LA called Smokey Joe's inspired the song by Leiber and Stoller, I don't know if the café drew its name from Cab Calloway's character. The Robins recorded it in 1955, before evolving into The Coasters. And in 1995 Smokey Joe's Cafe, a musical with the songs of Leiber and Stoller, opened on Broadway and ran five years.

_One day while I was eating beans at Smokey Joe's Café_  
_Just sittin', diggin' all them scenes at Smokey Joe's Café_  
_A chick I'd never seen before_  
_Came walkin' on in through the door_  
_At least I'd never saw her down at Smokey Joe's Café_

**Smokey Joe's Café**

The female who actually ran the Electrical Engineering department, which is to say the departmental secretary, informed Nick and Judy that the department head, Professor Plum, was in his office. She called in to warn him the detectives would be in to see him. Giles Green and Wendell White were both teaching classes at the moment, but were scheduled for office hours later in the day. She thought she'd seen Penelope Peacock come in and suggested they try the grad student office on the third floor. Since Milton Mustard had finished his PhD he had no reason to come in. She offered to call him and ask him to come in if the detectives wanted her to. The detectives wanted her to make the call.

A porcupine rose from behind a desk and donned a pair of glasses as they entered the office of the head of the department. "Can I help you?"

"Professor Plum?"

"Yes. Are you Hopps and Wilde? I think I've seen you on the news."

"Yes. We'd like to ask you a few questions about Matt Shells."

"Certainly," he told them and gestured to a couple chairs.

Rather than sitting Nick leaned forward and offered to shake the porcupine's paw. The fox did it carefully, but he knew it was a gesture porcupines appreciated. It worked to soften them up before hustling them. Nick hoped it worked equally well in obtaining cooperation.

Plum smiled wanly as he settled back in his chair. "Terrible tragedy. Terrible tragedy. Wonderful instructor. So pointless, but I don't understand why you're here."

"The investigation is on-going."

"I thought it was closed." He appeared slightly annoyed that they were taking his time rather than any nervousness about being discovered.

"There is a chance that one of the three victims was singled out as–"

"A copycat crime!" the porcupine exclaimed, his interest suddenly piqued. "Some animal knew of the Smokey Joe killings and decided to kill that third animal in the same way."

"Possibly," agreed Judy. "Or perhaps even Matt Shells was murdered after someone read about that first killing."

"That doesn't seem likely, you wouldn't... But I'm not a murderer, so how would I know?"

Nick let Judy do most of the questioning as he looked around the office and watched nuances in Plum's behavior. His protest, that he was not a killer, could have been read as protesting too much. Nick took it as Plum attempting some friendly humor and chuckled at the professors witticism.

The fox's opinion was that porcupines often felt defensive because of the way other animals avoided contact. The fact he had become head of an important department at Zootopia University was probably important for Plum's ego, and so he held on to the office, even with the additional responsibilities that led many departments to pass the job around. He read the porcupine as trying hard to fit an image.

Professor Plum looked exactly like the stereotypical head of a big department at Zoo U. He wore a slightly shabby tweed jacket with patched elbows, and there was a rack of pipes on his desk – even though no smoking was allowed in campus buildings. Nick noticed they hadn't even been used – there strictly for show. And while Nick wasn't positive the glasses on the professor's nose might have been plain glass instead of corrective lenses – perhaps also there strictly for show.

The porcupine claimed he had relatively little personal contact with Shells. Nick and Judy knew from the registrar's information that the only classes the otter had taken with Plum were as he started the grad program.

"We've had several animals tell us how intelligent Shells was," Judy told him. "Was it odd he took so long to finish the program?"

Plum nodded, "Yes indeed. I even asked Giles – Professor Green, Matt's adviser – what was going on. I mean, some animals just don't have what it takes to finish a degree. But Giles always assured me that Shells was doing wonderful work and needed to be kept in the program. Perhaps I was remiss as department head in not pushing him harder, but the student evaluations for the classes he taught were always so positive I... Maybe if I'd pushed harder he'd have been out and not killed."

Both Nick and Judy felt there was real regret in Plum's words.

"You were at the party for Milton Mustard the night Shells was killed?"

"Yes."

"When did you leave?"

"When did I leave? You make it sound like I'm a suspect."

"Just trying to get as much information as possible on Shells' final hours."

"Um... I didn't look at the clock, but I didn't stay long. My wife isn't comfortable with attending student parties and I promised to come home to her early. I might have left first. I felt it was important for me to put in at least a token appearance to congratulate young Mustard."

"We can call and ask her, if we decide it's important?"

"Certainly."

"And, while you were there, did you see any sort of unusual interaction between Matt Shells and anyone else at the party?"

"Unusual... No. I can't say that I did... I congratulated Milt, chatted with some faculty and a few of the students and left." He paused. "I probably said something to Shells, exchanged pleasantries or something. I really don't remember exactly."

"Which makes you entirely normal," Judy reassured him. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

At the end of their interview Nick offered to shake paws again, "Thank you for your time."

Judy swallowed nervously, but took her cue from her husband and offered a slightly trembling paw.

"We need to check to see if Plum might have been closer to Shells than he claimed," Judy told Nick as they climbed the stairs to the grad student office.

"Indeed," agreed Nick, "but my male intuition says he had nothing to do with it. Unless Matt had serious dirt on him, Plum would do anything to protect his image of respectability."

"You really think that–"

"No, I think the Professor is really as respectable as the image he works so hard to maintain."

They found the grad student office up two flights of stairs, with a dingo chatting with two other grad students.

"Police," Judy announced, and showed her badge.

"I'll pay! I'll pay!" an opossum shouted, "Don't arrest me! I'm waiting for a check from–"

Nick held up a paw for silence and glanced at Judy, who appeared as lost as he felt. "What are you talking about?" the fox demanded.

"The parking tickets. I know I haven't–"

"Take it up with campus security," advised Judy. "We're hoping to talk with Penelope Peacock, so anyone who isn't her or a police officer needs to leave the room for a few minutes."

"Better pay the fines," Nick whispered to opossum as he exited the room, "or next time the police might be here for you."

"Can you tell me what you think I did?" the dingo asked cheerfully.

"Don't know that you did anything," Judy responded. "We're working on the full story behind the murder of Matt Shells. You were a friend?"

"Yes."

"You were at the party the night he was killed. A celebration for Milton Mustard getting his PhD."

"It sounds like you already know the details."

"We read the initial report. The investigation kind of ended when the Smokey Joe connection was discovered. There may some other details that got overlooked."

She looked puzzled at Judy's words. "Uh, okay."

"You, Shells, and Mustard were the last three at the party?"

"Milt's malefriend was there too."

"The four of you were there rather late."

"We were, uh, talking. Yeah, talking about what Milt... He was..."

Judy sighed, and looked at Nick, "She appears too nervous, doesn't she?"

"Afraid so." He looked at the dingo. "We really need the truth." She didn't look like she wanted to answer the question. "Matt was killed," he reminded her. "Your friend was murdered."

"We were smoking a..."

"Couple joints?" asked Nick. "A little mellow from Sunshine Johnny Sunshine to end the party?"

"You know Sunshine Johnny?" Penelope asked in surprise.

"Who's this Sunshine Johnny?" demanded Judy.

"Never mind," Nick told Judy. He turned back to Penelope. "Assuming you aren't the head of the biggest drug ring in Zootopia we don't care what–"

"I care!" Judy started to object, "I–"

"_We_ don't care," Nick told his partner firmly. "We're looking for information on a killer." Resuming questioning, he continued. "Did you and Matt leave at the same time?"

"No. I stayed to help Milt and Tommy, his malefriend is Tommy, the apartment was kind of a mess and I stayed to help them straighten up."

"You were there when Matt was killed? He was killed not long after leaving."

"I think I was still there... I don't remember looking at my watch."

"Could you give us an estimate?" asked Judy.

"Twenty, thirty minutes maybe. I told the other officer we might have heard the shots... Or maybe we just thought that after we were told it happened so close."

"Not in our notes," Judy confirmed as Nick frantically re-checked the report from Jonathan and David.

"So, you and Milt are mutual alibis for when the murder happened."

"Alibi? Are you suggesting I'm lying?"

"You've read, or watched, too much bad fiction. Hack writers seem to think it means a lie. It's where you were, or what you're doing, at any given time. If someone robs a bank, right this minute, Judy and I are your alibi that is couldn't have been you, and you're our alibi that is couldn't have been us."

"Why does it matter anyway? They arrested the weasel who shot him."

"They arrested a weasel, who may not have killed Matt. And my guess is that someone at the party, who left before Matt, knew he'd be leaving later, waited in ambush, and killed him when Matt was going home."

"That's impossible!"

"Why?"

"'Cause everyone at the party is in the department, or a significant other to someone in the department! No one would have killed Matt!"

"That's what we're trying to figure out," Nick told her.

Judy asked, "First question, was the fact Matt had a grandfather in the mob common knowledge in the department?"

"Uh, yes it was. I don't know... He started the grad program before I did. It was something everyone knew – he even made a joke about it in classes sometimes, threatening students who didn't hand in assignments – telling them he still had family connections."

"So, it was common knowledge, but you don't know why?"

"Not for sure. I think one time he told me there was some mixer when he started and you were supposed to share some odd fact about yourself. I still don't see what this has to do with his murder."

"If someone wanted to kill Matt, and throw suspicion away from him or herself, that animal could have used the Smokey Joe connection."

"That's still crazy. No one hated Matt, not enough to kill him anyway."

"There can be a lot of reasons for murder," Judy told her. "You said, 'no one hated Matt enough to kill him'. So, there were animals that hated him?"

"Maybe hate is too strong. Personalities clash. Little jealousies when someone gets an award or grant someone else wanted."

"Someone told us Matt was brilliant. You were a friend and fellow grad student, what's your opinion?"

"Smartest animal I..." Penelope stopped and reflected a few seconds. "One of the smartest anyway. It didn't bother me. He'd always help me if I had trouble with something. I can see someone being jealous... But jealous enough to kill three animals?"

Nick reminded her, "There can be motives besides hate and jealousy. Did it seem odd to anyone that this really brilliant animal was not getting his PhD and getting out as fast as other animals in the department?"

"Yeah, it was something we talked about... We, the other grad students, sometimes."

"What ideas were talked about?"

"Well, some animals thought he preferred staying in school to going out and getting a real job. Being a TA doesn't pay much, but his adviser didn't seem to be putting any pressure on him to finish up. Some of us thought the faculty liked having him around to teach classes. He was, like, almost doing the work of a professor without being a professor or getting a professor's salary. Some animals thought he was too busy with his teaching load to finish work on the PhD."

"Other theories?"

"Well, he switched topics more than once. No one was sure if his research didn't come out the way he wanted or if, I mean, he was so smart maybe he got bored with something and had some new idea he wanted to research. You've got a lot of freedom here at the U to look at different things. Once you get a real job they usually stick you on some project you hate."

Judy suggested, "I think it's called mission creep. You start planning to do one thing, but more things come up and your objectives shift."

"Sounds right," Peacock agreed. "I mean, don't know if was true for Matt, but been there, done that."

"Nick and I heard a rumor that some animals who make a discovery, which might pay big, keep their research quiet and then patent it for themselves after graduation."

"We call it a 'medical delay'. They say some animals in the medical school do it... I don't know that it's true. I heard... I don't know that it's true..."

"Don't know what's true?"

"Oh, a rumor or two that it's happened here. Some animals go on to make a lot of money with some discovery. Maybe some of the research started here, but it doesn't mean they hid some discovery."

"But, it could happen?"

"I guess, in theory."

"Would an animal as smart as Matt Shells be– Let me change that. You were his friend. Can you think of anything he might have said which would suggest he might have made some important discovery."

The dingo thought for a minute. "I don't know... There were a couple times when he was ecstatic about something... But I don't know what. I mean, most of us are like that when we pass some hurdle for our degree. And once or twice... That last night we were together, after the party? Milt was saying how good it felt to be done, and he was kidding Matt about when was he going to finish and get a real job. Matt laughed and said something... Something about he wouldn't be working long, or he'd make millions when he left, or something about how he... We were a little high at that point. He was joking about never really needing to work, and within the hour... He never..." The dingo grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. "I hadn't thought of that. He said he'd never really work, and he never got his degree and never..."

"A couple final questions. We were told you and Milton Mustard were two of Matt's closest friends. Can you think of any others?"

"Um... Matt had some close friends among the students he started the program with... They've graduated. I don't see them much."

"Were any of them at Milt's celebration?"

"No. The party was for Milt, so Matt's friends–"

"–wouldn't have been invited. For the moment we'll pass on them. Did the first detectives leave a card and ask you to call if you remembered anything else?"

"Yes, but I think I threw it out when I heard about the arrest."

Judy handed her a card, "Call me. Detective Jonathan is still in charge of the investigation, but if you call me I'll see that he gets the information."

"Uh, you think someone in the department may have..."

"We believe it is possible," Nick told her.

"So, I, uh... shouldn't mention that to anyone?"

"We don't _know_ that any animal in the department is behind the murder," Judy assured her. "It is a possibility that wasn't considered in the initial investigation and we're trying to consider every possibility. We can't order you to keep quiet. You need to decide if you think you need to tell other animals or not, but realize it might cause pointless worry – like that possum who went into panic mode when Nick and I got here. However, you aren't the only animal we're talking with. We've talked with, or plan to talk with, several of his professors, Mustard, and a couple other animals, so it probably will be an item for discussion."

"I... I guess if Bubba or Chin ask why you were here I'll say you're gathering more information. I mean, that is the truth."

"Always go with the truth," agreed Judy.

"If you lack imagination," Nick added. "The truth tends to be boring. I've always found a good story will–"

Judy's elbow to his stomach cut short Nick's paean to prevarication. "I love him dearly," Judy told the dingo. "But sometimes you need to be firm."

Nick looked like he was in pain as he rubbed the spot Judy had hit. "Usually a nice lie is less painful than the truth."

The concern in Judy's voice was real, "I didn't hurt you, did I? I was just–"

Nick straightened up and laughed, "Not a bit. See, my way makes a better story."

"Hit him again," suggested the dingo. "Harder."

When they were finished with the dingo it was time for Giles Green to hold office hours. He was not in when they knocked on the office door.

As they asked the departmental secretary about Green a peccary walked through departmental office. "Oh, Professor Green, these two detectives wish to speak with you."

"With me?" He looked at pair. "Let me see if there's any mail." He took a couple envelopes from a mail slot and led them to his office. He didn't ask them to sit. He took a chair behind his desk and demanded to know why they were there.

Nick decided Green might be the professor he'd been warned was way too full of himself. Plum's air had been pompous, because most porcupines were not given respect. Plum felt a need to project a respectable image, Nick guessed. The feeling the fox had about Green was that he considered himself the most important animal in the room. Any room. No matter who else or how many were in the room, Green would have seen himself as the most important. Nick tried to get past this to look for nuances in behavior or body language, but it was hard to get past his dislike for the animal in front of them.

"We're doing further investigation in the murder of Matt Shells," Judy explained.

"That was finished."

"There were some loose ends to tie up."

"That weasel was arrested. That ended it. You're wasting my time."

"Matt Shells was killed. You were his adviser. Surely his life meant–"

"Fine," the peccary snapped. "Ask your questions."

"Several animals have told us they thought Shells was especially smart. It seems odd he was slow in graduating."

"What's your question?"

"You were his adviser. Did that seem odd to you?"

"Matt was not as smart as some animals... He was a good student. Entirely competent. But his failure to finish in a timely manner shows he wasn't as smart as some animals may have suggested to you."

Nick had trouble reading Green. Was his denigration of Shells a reflection of Green's own over-sized ego, or designed to throw him and Judy away from the important questions?

Judy was not led astray, "He taught a number of classes, surely he wouldn't have been assigned to–"

"Oh, he was a favorite of several professors. They kept him busy. The reviews his students gave him were never that good."

Judy gave Nick a fast glance to see if he remembered Plum telling them that Shells always received positive evaluations. He gave her a knowing look to assure her he had caught it.

"He was in the program and doing well enough that he was asked to teach classes–"

"Whether he should have been or not!"

The peccary was protesting way too much in Nick's opinion. Judy continued, "If I might finish my question, please. Professor Plum said you expressed a desire for Shells to continue in the program."

"Er, yes. Yes I did. No reason for Matt to be punished. I told you, I thought him competent."

"So, if he was competent and you were willing to tell the head of the department he should continue in the program, we're curious why you think he–

"What does this have to do with him being the grandson of a member of some old mob?"

"You knew that?"

"Of course I knew that. Everyone in the department knew it. I don't recall how it came up, but it was common knowledge. Ask anyone."

"We will," Judy assured him, "ask, that is. It does seem to be common knowledge, but my question was why a student you thought bright enough to continue in the program had trouble getting his degree and finishing?"

There was a moment of nervous silence. "Well, he was smart enough. I already told you that. He... He was a bit unfocused. He'd start something, but then something else would draw his attention. He... He was all over in his research. I finally suggested he ask Professor White to take over as his adviser."

"Do you remember some of the projects he worked on?"

"Oh, not a one! I mean, I have his first proposal. Hold on, let me print it out for you, then you really need to leave. I have students who may be coming in for office hours."

As they left the peccary's office with a printout of Matt Shells' initial proposal Nick whispered, "Duty demands we keep interviewing suspects, even if we think we know the killer, doesn't it?"

"The duties of a police officer aren't as much fun as the duties of a wife," agree Judy.

Nick patted her on the rear, "And you do your wifely duties so well."

"Don't take me for granted, Mister Wilde. And I happen to remember husbands have duties too. But, back to the job, there is a chance we'll find an even better suspect behind the next door.

The next door was, again, to the administrative office. "Milton Mustard arrived while you were with professor Green. He's in the seminar room."

"Seminar room?"

"Just to the left when you came in the front door."

* * *

"Thanks for coming in," Judy thanked Mustard. "We know you've finished, but we–"

"Hey, no problem. I still have junk I need to clear out of the office upstairs."

His version of the party's aftermath, Penelope Peacock remaining to help clean up, agreed with the dingo's memory. Nick took notes as Milton worked on remembering all the animals who attended the party. Some animals had left early, explaining commitments which could serve as solid alibis, if true.

Mustard appeared slightly annoyed that Peacock had confessed to a little weed at the end the evening. "Penny told you that? I–"

"She didn't volunteer it," Nick assured him. "Judy beat it out of her with a rubber hose."

"She looked very nervous, and apparently I'm the only one who doesn't know the local pusher," Judy told him.

"Dealer, my dear," Nick told her. "Pushers are for dangerous drugs. An occasional joint may be good for relaxation. I know this rabbit who's wound up real tight and–"

"Turn if off, Slick," warned Judy. She turned to Mustard, "And Nick assured her, and will tell you, that we're here for a murder investigation. Period."

Milt drew a sigh of relief. Like the dingo he couldn't imagine anyone angry or jealous enough of Matt for emotion to provide a motive, and also insisted no one in the department could have been behind the murders.

Unlike Peacock, however, he confessed to a greater suspicion Shells might have delayed graduation to finish some project with commercial application. "I don't know that for a fact," he assured them, "it just seemed like someone as smart as Matt could have finished years ago if he wanted to."

"Penelope Peacock suggested some students thought he might be delaying graduation because he enjoyed teaching."

"Yeah, I know some animals thought that... But Matt talked about getting out. I'd be more willing to think the faculty didn't want him to graduate – he did too much work."

"Do you think they really kept him from graduating?"

"Nah, no way. If he wanted to finish he could have finished a couple years ago. He had some reason for hanging around – and I think he had something he wanted to finish up, for himself."

"If we assume, for a minute, he was trying to finish up some commercial application, our question is who might know that?"

"Hopefully no one, I mean, if Matt wanted to keep it a secret he wouldn't have wanted anyone to know it, right?"

"But would he have been able to keep it hidden? Wouldn't faculty have noticed and wondered why a smart animal wasn't graduating on schedule?"

"Umm, hadn't considered that. Old Plum should have noticed, for sure, that he wasn't getting out as fast as animals that didn't seem as bright. Professor Green, that's his adviser, would have had to wonder about that. He hung around a lot with Professor White. I think White really like him... Missed a day of classes after the murder, really took it hard."

Although Mustard was off the list of suspects, since he and Peacock had been together cleaning up after the party, the guest list he provided them for the party was valuable. Judy and Nick felt fairly certain the list contained the name of the killer – mostly because it contained the names of half of the faculty of the department, and most of the grad students.

"Terry might be the only animal in Electrical Engineering not on the list," complained Nick as he looked at his notes.

"Yes, but some of them will have alibis as good as Peacock and Mustard," Judy assured him.

The detectives managed a fast lunch at the student union before Wendell White was scheduled to hold office hours.

"Call the art department and see if Scarlett Rivers will be in today," Judy instructed Nick.

"Why me?"

"Because you can charm the stripes off a tiger, when you aren't being sarcastic to your poor wife."

"But she loves me anyway," Nick boasted confidently.

"She does, but make the call."

When Nick got off the phone he told Judy, "She has a seminar until four-thirty."

A beaver who appeared to be around retirement age was chatting with the secretary when Judy and Nick returned to the Electrical Engineering offices. "Oh, here they are now," she told the beaver.

"Wendell White," he told them and stuck out his paw. "You're gathering more information on Matt's murder?"

"Yes," Judy told him. "We've heard he spent a lot of time with you."

"He did. Wonderful individual. Brilliant student, brilliant... I don't know what information you might want, but my office is one floor up."

The detectives wondered at the beaver's speech pattern as they followed him up the stairs. Beavers' large front teeth often affected their speech patterns. Professor White's diction was almost too precise – as if every syllable he uttered held a weighty importance.

A small table with four chairs around it took up much of the room in the office. The beaver joined them at the table rather than sitting behind his desk. "As I said downstairs, I don't know what this is about, but am happy to help in any way I can."

"Thank you," Judy replied. "We'd like to start with the night of the party. Did you talk with Matt Shells? Did you notice any sort of friction between him and any other animal there? When did you leave the party, and where did you go?"

"You make me sound like a suspect," White laughed. "I left at ten-fifteen, because there was a television program I wanted to watch at ten-thirty. And I have no one to provide an alibi for me. I went to bed when it was over."

"What was the program?" Nick asked casually, knowing he could check the television schedule.

"Metal Sudden Death on the Science Channel. Teams construct robots which attempt to leave an opposing robot a pile of scrap metal."

"Does that relate to anything you do here?"

"No, it represents a strictly guilty pleasure on my part."

"Did you talk with Shells at the party?"

"I chatted with Matt more than any other individual there. Such a loss... Such a loss. A true polymath."

"Polymath?" asked Nick

Judy answered, "Someone who's smart in a lot of different areas."

"Indeed," agreed White. "I told him he should have gone into education. The pay is poor, but he had so much to offer. Schools would have fought to get him."

"If he was so brilliant, why didn't he finish his degree?"

"An excellent question. I told him he needed to complete his research. I often wondered why he didn't. My opinion was that he found academia a welcoming place and didn't want some employer dictating what you could do. That was why I felt hopeful he might go in to teaching."

A vibration in her pocket alerted Judy to a text. It came from Detective David and asked, _"Done? Would like video conference."_ She let Nick continue the interview as she responded, _"Conducting interviews. Will call after."_

"Professor Green told us that he recommended you become Shell's adviser."

White thought a minute, "I am certain Giles never mentioned that to me."

"I think he meant suggesting Matt ask you to become his adviser."

"Hmmm, possible. Highly unusual to switch like that, but could be done. Matt never mentioned it."

"Several animals said you seemed especially friendly with Matt, you just said you talked more with him at the party than anyone else. Was his research in your particular area?"

"No... At least the project Giles had approved was not in my field of expertise. But, as I said, Matt was a polymath. He first approached me with some questions about power generation. I encouraged him to pursue his research, but it was only one of his interests. He put it on a backburner somewhere in his mind. However, he and I hit it off. He'd often stop by the office just to chat, or we'd go out for a beer and discuss the classes he was teaching."

"I assume power generation would be a lucrative field."

"It certainly is. We all depend on electricity. I feel that Matt could have switched to power generation; our discussions convinced me that he could have gotten his degree and a high salary position had he wished. The fact he did not was one of the things which made me optimistic he was considering teaching."

The gregarious beaver seemed to enjoy talking about Matt Shells, the detectives sensed the old professor felt a genuine affection for the grad student. The question in Nick's mind was whether Shells might have used White's friendship for his own purposes.

"Thank you for your time," Judy told Professor White as she glanced at her watch. "We need to head to the art department to talk with Scarlett Rivers."

"Ah, Miss Rivers. She will not be able to tell you about that party at Milt's apartment. Matt had broken up with her several days earlier."

"We still want to speak with her. Do you know anything about the break-up?"

"That was Matt's principle topic of conversation with me that evening. He was upset about it, said that she was cheating on him. He may have just needed an ear in which to pour his troubles. And what could I say? I mean, if I said he was right to break up with her – and they reunited – I'd be the villain for saying he should dump her. But, if I urged him to reconcile, and things went badly, then I was a fool for making the suggestion."

The campus map helped them find the art department.

The conversation with Scarlett Rivers confirmed her innocence. The young otter was a bit over-dramatic in emotional responses. It might be possible to imagine her angry enough to kill Matt Shells for dumping her, assuming her version of the break-up was accurate – although both fox and rabbit suspected there were fictional elements to her tale. What mattered, as far as their investigation, was that the animal behind the murders had begun collecting the Smokey Joe challenge coins before the break-up.

"So, Matt never mentioned any possible enemies in the department to you?"

"No, never. Everyone in the department..." Scarlett started to tear slightly, and blew her nose.

"Jealousy?"

"I don't know why Matt thought I was seeing–"

"Jealousy towards him in the department. We've been told he was especially brilliant. Could anyone have resented him?"

"I don't know. I didn't know the others very well... We were out with Milt, that's Milton Mustard he's–"

"Matt's friend. We talked with him. You're suggesting he might have been jealous?"

"No, I'm saying he's one of the few I really met. Sometimes he'd kid Matt about how long it took him to finish. They talked about stuff they did. I didn't understand it. They never said anything about anyone being jealous."

* * *

Nick and Judy Scoped™ with the detectives from the Fourth.

"Forensics reports that your hunch on the bullets was correct," Eli David confirmed. "They did not come from the shell casings found at the scene."

"Could they have been reloads?" asked Judy.

"Would have shown signs of a second firing. They were there to throw us off. Talked with your special effects Tiger."

Jack Jonathan picked up the narrative, "It would require something beyond anything he knows to cause the distortion with conventional electromagnetic fields. So Ed and I have been looking, and holy shit, there are a boatload of commercial applications where a stronger or customized electromagnetic field would be worth a fortune. Hopps, I think you need to drop Doyun Park and look into Matt Shells with the fox."

"I, uh, already did that today. There are rules on what information the Registrar can give out and Nick thought he might need me to–"

"My fault, I led her astray," said Nick. "It should have been your call."

Jonathan wasn't sure if Nick was being sincere, flattering, or sarcastic, but decided to let it pass. "Well, you've already shown the danger of concentrating on one suspect too quickly, but I think we may need to work on your theory that Shells was the main target. Is there reason to think he could have come up with some discovery worth multiple murders?"

"If he did, he kept it quiet. The university patents any discoveries made in their labs. So, if he had something he knew was valuable he wouldn't talk about it. There are a couple hints he might have found something, but nothing definite."

"Still, a possible motive. Who did you talk with today?"

Nick nudged Judy slightly and she answered, "Talked with an undergraduate for some departmental information. Spoke with a couple close friends – who were cleaning up the apartment where the party was held, so they couldn't have been the killer."

"That dingo?"

"Yes. And Milton Mustard. It was a party for him. We suspect one of the individuals who left before Matt Shells could have been waiting in ambush, setting up the location for the murder."

"Good, I assume you got a list of those at the party?"

"Yes, we've not had time to check them all out yet. Seven professors were invited to the party. Five came, we talked with three of them today. One is the head of the department, one was his main adviser, and one a professor he spent a lot of time with."

"Put everyone's name in an email and shoot it to us before you clock out. Oh, heights of those you interviewed?"

"Heights?"

"How tall are they. Talked with that Slappy, the blind panhandler. Says he told you the animal who hired him sounded a bit taller than the fox. Didn't see that in your report."

"Sorry," Nick apologized. "Rookie mistake."

"Drop it," Detective Jonathan advised, "you've handled too many big things to get a rookie pass. We all make mistakes. But you haven't answered the question."

"His advisor, Giles Green, is a bit taller than me. A peccary."

"Who's the White animal Shells spent a lot of time with?"

"Power applications, generation of electricity. He–"

"That's an area where there are a LOT of commercial applications," Eli cut in. "Worth millions! What's his species?"

"Beaver. Shorter than me."

Jack Jonathan grunted, "I'm getting to the opinion we can't take anything for granted on this perp. He could have stood on a box or something when he was talking with the squirrel."

"Maybe, but Judy asked if the animal wanting the PO box had anything distinctive in his voice – in case it was Weaselton. Slappy said the animal's voice was normal, whatever that means, White has a distinctive accent – almost too precise."

"Like every syllable really pronounced clearly?" asked the eland.

"Yes, why?"

"Got a cousin like that," Detective David told them. "He had a speech impediment when he was young and therapist got him over it... There's some long name for it I don't remember."

Detective Jonathan sought clarification, "So, it's now his natural speech pattern?"

"Right... The professor we were most suspicious of was Giles Green, Shells' adviser. Little taller than me, no accent. Some inconsistencies in what he told us compared with other animals, and, as Shells' adviser he would be in a good position to see if Shells engaged in some research other than what was necessary for his doctorate."

"Don't know that we can rule White out, but appears he and Green are two animals we need to record."

The detectives at the Fourth sounded like they wanted to clear Duke, but after the conference, when Judy suggested they call the jail and tell Duke, the fox voted against it. "Still a lack of hard evidence, and I'm pretty sure he won't be released until Jonathan and David have a better suspect to put in. The killer managed a very nice frame."

* * *

"It has been one good day," Nick announced as they headed for the car at the end of their work day.

"We haven't established anything," Judy pointed out. "I mean, maybe we've got a better grasp of motive. We've talked with some suspects but we have no more proof who killed those animals than when we got out of bed this morning!"

"Not all progress is measured by arrests, Fluff Butt. We are actively working the case now, and even Jonathan has realized Duke was set up. I had a beautiful vixen flirt with me, albeit briefly, and now I am going out for dinner with the sexiest rabbit in the ZPD."

"I'm the only rabbit in the ZPD."

"Even if there were fifty you would have no competition for the title."

"And I don't recall you asking me out for dinner."

"I need to ask? I'm going to Tony's to celebrate. I guess you can stay in the apartment and eat leftovers if you want. I just thought you might want to sit across from me in a booth, as I gaze in your limpid eyes and tell you how much I love you."

"How could a female turn down such charm?"

"So, that's a yes?"

Nick ordered linguini with white clam sauce for dinner, while Judy dined on spaghetti squash with a tomato and basil sauce. Tony came by to chat.

"Gazelle, she's ordered cannoli here," he said, pointing proudly to a signed picture on the wall.

"Gazelle was here?" Judy asked.

"Well, not here herself. She sent a tiger, one of her dancers, for a big order. I ask for a picture. He say if Gazelle likes and she wish to order again he brings a picture. And there it is. The orders are huge."

"She has a large support crew."

"You see her, you ask if there is anything special she likes. We have the Mayor and the Detective, maybe we can add the Gazelle too. I predict a big seller."

"But no cannoli named for Judy?"

The weasel shrugged, "A carrot filled cannoli? I don't see a lot of orders." Nick laughed, and Tony asked, "I, uh, wondered if you know Ernie's schedule... He hasn't called my Gina in a couple days and... Just curious."

"He's a rookie, just starting out. I imagine he's feeling overwhelmed," explained Judy.

"I'll give him a call," Nick promised. "I'd think a date with a pretty female is just what he'd need after a stressful week. Oh, his partner is a giraffe."

"A giraffe? How...?"

"We aren't sure either. I'll ask Ernie about it when I give him a call. Wait, Gazelle gets a locked protective frame for her picture and the mayor and I just get plain frames?"

"You and the mayor are paisans, you'd give me another picture. Gazelle? Who knows."

* * *

Judy wondered how many animals at the First realized she and Nick were married, and simply said nothing because of the regulations against a married couple serving as partners. Perhaps, if there were any left who remained unaware, she and Nick shouldn't always arrive together. Of course everyone realized they were sleeping together. It seemed vaguely hypocritical to the rabbit. When she and Nick were living together it was acceptable for them to serve as partners, but wrong for them to be partners if they were legally married. Hypocritical or nonsensical. Perhaps both.

Ben waved as they arrived at the First. "Alces wants to see you."

"Probably to congratulate us," Nick called and pumped an arm in victory, "we're doing great!"

In the Moose's office the captain demanded to know, "What's happening with your Smokey Joe work?"

"We've worked on motive and Jonathan and David have come onboard with Duke being framed," Judy reported. "We may get it cleared up next week."

"Jonathan and David may get it cleared up next week," he told them. "It's still their case."

Nick protested, "Yes, but we're working with them and–"

"No, you're not."

"What do you mean, we're not?"

"I respected the fact you wanted the case re-opened. I gave you time to work it. You got it re-opened. There is a lot of crime in Zootopia. There is crime here at the First. I need you here."

"But–"

"No buts. I gave you time to work the Smokey Joe case. You did good work, but now it's back in the paws of the detectives who were handed the assignment." He looked at Judy, "Folder on your desk, new assignment."

"Damn it," Nick muttered as they headed for their desks. "How could he pull us like that–"

"He didn't have to give us the time he did," Judy reminded him.

Nick brought a foul mood to his work for the rest of the day, vaguely wondering if Jack Jonathan had phoned the First and asked that he and Judy be removed. In a conference call with the two detectives from the Fourth in the late afternoon Jonathan expressed regret they weren't still on the case and thanked them for what they'd done – but Nick didn't trust the large detective.

The fox's mood began to gradually improve. Intellectually he recognized the captain _might_ be right, and Judy was correct that Alces had done a Nick a favor by giving them time on the Smokey Joe case. But it still hurt. Judy helped his mood on Friday evening.

* * *

Saturday morning, Judy awoke, curled up in Nick's arms. It was very pleasant and she simply enjoyed it for almost fifteen minutes before the fox also stirred.

"Whose turn to make breakfast," Nick yawned.

"I'm making carrot cake muffins, so you have time to shower before you make cappuccinos. Any auctions you're going to today?"

"Nope. A wonderfully lazy Saturday. Eric suggested we throw rocks at pigeons and Truckie wanted to hold a contest to see who could hold his breath the longest, but–"

"Okay, I know you're joking with Truckie. Please tell me Eric didn't–"

"Actually, both those suggestions were made... When we were about eight. What about you, Carrot Breath? What was your lazy Saturday morning when you were a child. Practice lifting fingerprints; knowing someday you'd be a cop?"

"Children on a farm never have a lazy Saturday morning. They are for slothful city kids. Depending on the season I'd be out planting, or weeding, or harvesting."

"No wonder you have such an insufferable work ethic. You needed to have fun."

"And there were Carrots Days, and Pumpkin Fest, and the real Harvest End – not that pale imitation you poor deprived city dwellers call Harvest End. And football. Lots of football. And, for your information, I think I was eleven or twelve when I decided to become a police officer."

"Movie theaters in the city, art galleries, concerts, clubs, bars, a thousand things to do in the city."

"And yet, you and your friends regarded throwing rocks at pigeons or holding your breath as the height of excitement."

"Ever thrown a rock at a pigeon?"

"No."

"So, you have no idea how fun it might be."

"I could throw rocks at a fox. That might be fun."

"Hey, I've got an idea! How about I take a shower and you start the carrot cake muffins?" Judy attempted to get out of bed, but Nick pulled her back. "Seven kisses first."

Judy kissed him, "One. Why seven?"

Nick kissed her, "Two. Because more than seven and I become inflamed with lust."

"Three," Judy said after another. "Perhaps we should stop at five."

Nick kissed her again, "Four. I said I could control myself up to seven."

"Ah, but I'm less sure I can control myself with you." She gave him a fast kiss, called "Five!" and jumped out of bed to head for the kitchen.

Nick watched Judy play football in the afternoon and they watched a movie that night. It would have been the perfect Saturday except for a small nagging voice in the back of Nick's mind reminding him that Duke was still in jail. _"Jonathan and David bungled the first investigation, they'll bungle this,"_ he told himself. He offered himself the counter-argument, _"They discovered the clues they were supposed to find, and followed them. Now that they know it was a frame they'll work just as hard to find the real killer."_


	11. We Go Well Together

Boilerplate Disclaimer: The various characters from Zootopia are all owned by Disney the great and powerful. Any and all registered trade names property of their respective owners. Cheap shots at celebrities constitute fair usage.

A reviewer complained, rightly, that I made things too obvious last chapter. That was what I meant about cutting the story short. To do the mystery correctly there would have been evidence Professor Plum, as a good department head, kept a closer eye on Matt Shells than I put in chapter 10. Professor White's absence the day after the murder would have appeared suspicious (especially in the light of Matt Shells' computer being missing), Matt Shells would have had a few secrets of his own, and Mustard and Peacock would have raised suspicions with their contradictory stories on what happened after the party. Even the breakup with Miss Scarlett would have happened earlier – to make her a suspect. Juggling all six suspects would have taken a LONG novel. So, I made things obvious so I could wrap it up with a short chapte here. I think the problem, more than a lack of reviews, was that I wasn't having fun writing. What I enjoy is Judy and Nick's interaction and it was in danger of disappearing if I developed the potential mystery.

I like the Judy and Nick dynamic, they fit Cab Calloway's list of things that go well together in his 1941 song.

_Like Minnie the Moocher and Smokey,  
like Harlem in stormy weather,  
we go well together._

**We Go Well Together**

Monday dawned overcast, with a vague threat of rain in the air. Nick took it as an evil omen. "Looks like rain. A bad luck day."

"What are you talking about? Rain is good luck!"

"What are you talking about? Rain is–"

"What farmers want. Honestly, you have no concept of what goes into the food you eat, do you?"

Nick looked down at the pot, "Uh, two-thirds cup of steel-cut oats, cup and half of water, pinch of salt, and simmer for thirty minutes. Garnish with a pat of butter and–"

"Where did the oats come from?"

"From this box."

Judy threw up her arms, "Please, please, please tell me you aren't serious."

"Of course I'm serious. I opened the box last week."

Judy sighed, "Oh, that's right. You're never serious, are you?"

"Only when I tell you how much I love you."

"Nice one," Judy complimented, and kissed him on the end of his nose.

The day was utterly routine. The investigation they handled needed to be done, but Nick felt like any of the First detectives who were capable to chewing gum and walking at the same time could have handled it. (That did eliminate a couple, in the fox's mind, from being able to cover what he and Judy did, but only a couple.) He felt his time would have been better spent on the Smokey Joe case.

Judy saw his fidgeting, and correctly guessed the reason. "Have some patience," she told him. "Jonathan and David can handle it."

_"You hope,"_ thought Nick.

A long black limo was parked outside Judy and Nick's building when they returned home.

"I wonder–" began Judy.

Nick's opinion was, "Trouble."

A large bear, wearing a chauffeur's uniform got out, opened the door to the passenger compartment, and beckoned for them to enter.

"Run for it," suggested Nick. "If we split up he can't catch us both."

"How about we see what it's about first," Judy said, and moved toward the limo. Nick followed reluctantly.

"Where are you taking us?" the rabbit asked.

"You're going nowhere," a voice Judy didn't recognize answered from the back. "We decided to wait for you, and hold our conference, in style." Judy looked in and saw a female lemming with an eye-patch she recognized primarily from description as Chelsea Dagger. The nervous looking shrew Judy didn't recognize at all sat sat by the lemming. "Please get in, Detective, and try not to believe everything the fox may have said about me."

"Always a good suggestion," agreed Judy and took a seat opposite the smalls.

The bear went back to his position in the driver's seat and Nick, fearing Judy might be kidnapped, reluctantly joined his wife on the back seat. "Judy, Chelsea Dagger. Ms Dagger, my fiancée, Judy Hopps."

"We're friends," the lemming smiled. "Your wife. Mister Big is disappointed you didn't accept his gracious offer to use the mansion for the ceremony and reception."

Nick felt his mouth grow dry with fear, "Uh, how disappointed?"

The lemming waved it off with a gesture, "I've squared things as best I could. I explained that you wanted to keep it quiet because of police regulations. He is a generous individual and accepted your apology."

The fox decided to change the subject, "And your friend?" he said, nodding at the nervous shrew.

"Another business associate, Myron."

"First name or last."

Chelsea pondered the question, "I don't know. Never asked. Maybe his name is Myron Myron."

The shrew shot her a dirty look and shook his head 'no'.

"He seems terribly nervous," observed Nick.

"I suspect this is the closest he's ever been to a police officer. Guilty conscience, I imagine."

"And you don't have one?"

"I remember the promise for amnesty for all prior crimes was part of the deal with the bosses to get their support for a small police force."

"And Big will be clean by the time the force is launched?" Judy asked.

"Ninety-nine percent there already."

"But I still don't know why the two of you are here," Nick reminded her.

"Two reasons. I said Big isn't angry you didn't hold the wedding at the mansion, just disappointed. Myron and I hate to see Big disappointed. First, the two of you are having dinner at the mansion this Friday evening. It will be a chance for Detective Hopps to catch up with Fru Fru."

"On, Nick, that will be lovely!" Judy exclaimed.

Nick didn't agree. He took the lemming's words as more threat than invitation. It was effective threat, the fox didn't want to disappoint Big again. "You said two reasons."

"Disappointed or not, Big wants to give a suitable wedding gift to the godmother of his grandchildren. He tasked Myron and me with finding something you would be very happy to receive for a wedding gift."

Judy tried to object, "We really don't need–"

The lemming put up her hand to silence the rabbit. "You don't need anything? Fine. What would you want? Money is no object. We've heard you have a large apartment. Would you prefer a house? Matching Rolex™ watches – high end, of course? Exotic vacation? Sailboat?"

"No," Judy told her firmly. "It would look like you were bribing us with expensive gifts."

"It looks like you're insulting Big if you turn down his generous offer. Come now, there must be something you've wanted and never indulged in."

"No, really, we're fine."

"Let me put it another way. If you don't give us some gift ideas there may be a delivery to the First. Unwrapped, so everyone can see what they are. Two very, very expensive watches sent to Mrs. and Mr. Judith Hopps."

"Nick kept his own name."

"I'm not surprised. Males can be so selfish. Point is, I'm sure you wouldn't like that. Use your imaginations. Ask for something extravagant or Big might see turning down his offer as an insult."

Nick experienced an epiphany as a vision of a top-of-the-line cappuccino machine went through his mind. They were hideously expensive, which is why he'd always bought cheap machines. Judy enjoyed cappuccinos... It would also be a gift for her. But... Judy had just given him a new machine. It wasn't top-of-the-line, but it was nice machine. Asking for a new one would be an insult to Judy. He wouldn't ask for the machine.

The rabbit offered a suggestion, "A piano?"

"A piano?" Dagger asked in surprise.

"Nick plays," explained Judy. "And sometimes I sing with him."

The shrew and lemming looked at each other, Myron shrugged an 'okay'.

"Is there room for a grand?" Chelsea asked.

"No, nothing that big," Judy insisted. "My friend Sharla had an electric piano in her house when I was little. They aren't big, and I don't think they're expensive."

"May depend on the model," Dagger said, "but sounds like an idea." She looked at the fox, "Any ideas in your head?"

"I was thinking maybe dishes."

"A male thinking about dishes?"

"Very traditional wedding gift. Judy mostly has unmatched thrift shop china; first time she's really had a kitchen. I had cheap stuff from Bargain Lots. A real set of dishes–"

Judy smiled and grasped Nick's arm, "That would be wonderful..." She paused and looked at the lemming, "Nothing too expensive."

"Tasteful," Chelsea assured her. "It will be tasteful."

"What time is dinner this Friday?" asked Judy.

"Seven-thirty."

Nick asked, "Will Vaughn be there."

Myron's first words were, "Who's Vaughn?"

"Oh, he's a secret? He's Ms Dagger's source for information on my engagement and wedding to Judy."

The lemming blushed beneath her fur, "He, uh, discovered something being planned which would have embarrassed you, so he, ah, asked me to help him scuttle those plans."

"Vaughn called you for help?"

"I know him from the campaign for mayor, remember? He remembered me and knew I could get things done."

"And you hadn't seen him since the campaign, when you asked me for his number?"

"None of your business. He asked for help. I gave it."

"And you took it on yourself to pass the news on to Big."

"What can I say? Big likes the rabbit."

As the limo pulled away Myron asked, "We get them both gifts?"

"Of course."

"I don't understand – You threatened them! Big likes them and you threatened them."

"I didn't–"

"You threatened to send expensive watches to the First!"

"Minimal threat. I found the fox responds well to threats. The rabbit? Don't know how to 'motivate' her, but I don't think threatening violence would work. Tell me, better to issue a little threat and get gift ideas, or go back and tell Big we failed to find a gift they wanted?"

Myron changed the subject, "And who is this Vaughn?"

"Like I told the fox, he's none of your business."

* * *

On Tuesday Nick and Judy took their turn with a surveillance detail. They watched the apartment of a female friend of a murder suspect. He might try visiting her. It was possible he was hiding in her apartment, but there was probably not enough evidence for a search warrant. And, even if they obtained a search warrant, if he wasn't there it would tip off the suspected killer and his female that the apartment was known.

It was an excruciatingly dull shift. At the end of a half hour with the binoculars Nick suggested, "Could I call–"

"No." Judy started her turn.

Nick took out his phone.

"Who are you calling," demanded Judy.

"The First, surely I'm allowed to call my own precinct."

The phone was answered, "Nick?"

"Hey, just wondering if–"

Ben Clawhauser sighed, "No news since the last time you called. I told you, I'll call you if I hear anything on the Smokey Joe murders."

"You might have been too busy to call."

"Nope. I'll call. I promise."

Late in the shift, with nothing still happening, Judy asked, "Have you thought more about what Carnac said?"

"Huh?"

"Help him with some show; that was a lot of money?"

"We're doing okay. You'd just insist on paying taxes on it."

"Seriously. We could do it and give the money for cancer research in memory of Annie."

"In memory..."

"Her mom sent me an email... Funeral service on Sunday. I said we'd go."

* * *

His patience at an end Nick called Malus Kane at the Fourth on Wednesday. "Sorry to be a pain in the tail, but do you know what's happening with Jonathan and David's investigation?"

"They're doing great. Going to a judge today to try and get a court order for a home search."

"Who? Do you know who?"

"Sorry, no."

_"Have they screwed up again?"_ the fox wondered. "Okay, I'll wait. Hope they get the order. What do you hear on Ernie and... Forgot the name of his partner, the giraffe."

"Frank Oak. Ernest Hunter and Frank Oak. Eager young rookie and tired old cop nearing retirement? Would make a good movie, or maybe even a television series. You know, the mismatched buddy plot."

"But seriously."

"Seriously, they're doing fine. Ernie has a good work ethic. He's from Bunnyburrow, like Judy?"

"Right."

"Maybe the ZPD should set up a recruiting system there. Don't think Ernie is as much on the ball as Judy, but he works hard and will make a good cop."

"Do you see him during the day?"

"Frequently, why?"

"Tell him Gina would like a call."

"Gina... She was a female he during during the–"

"Right, and don't listen to Judy. Gina is much better for Ernie than Iris."

* * *

Judy asked, "So, would you rather look for dumb crooks or a smart crook?" as they returned to the First on Thursday afternoon.

"I'd rather be looking for the Smokey Joe killer."

"I'm not talking about specific cases. I mean, in the abstract, do you prefer having a crime like this afternoon – where the thief almost turns himself in, or does your crafty brain require the stimulation of a Dawn Bellwether?"

"So, would I prefer life being simple or someone trying very hard to kill me? Given that choice, I'll take a crook who has handcuffed himself before we get there – after writing out a full confession, in front of twenty-seven witnesses. I don't know why boredom has such a bad name, it's a whole lot better than a psycho trying to kill you. Your choice, Carrots?"

"Is there something in between?"

"No, I'm pretty sure the rabbit who posed the initial question only gave two extremes as the possible choices."

"She didn't think that through well, did she?"

"Does appear to have been a mental lapse on her part, she has them occasionally. Rumor has it she married a fox."

"Seriously?"

"Afraid so."

"You make it sound like a mistake."

"A rabbit? Married to a fox? That doesn't sound odd to you?"

"She sounds like the luckiest rabbit in the world, in my opinion."

"I suspect her parents don't hold that opinion."

"I'm sure her parents trust her judgment and agree

Ben waved as they entered, "Detective Nyte is here! She's been waiting for you to get back!"

"Lylah's back? She isn't due to start working until Monday. Oh, and she's Detective Bagheera now."

"Oops, that's right."

The panther was chatting with Detective Gannon when they entered. She saw Judy and headed in their direction. "Was that arrest as easy as Readover claims?"

"What version did you hear?"

"He says the perp forgot where he parked the getaway car and you caught him while he was looking for it."

"Okay, that's what happened. Nick and I were saying the job could be boring if every robbery was that simple."

"But a nice change of pace?"

"Absolutely! Although Nick thought boring sounds better than being shot."

"Where is the fun in boring?"

"Exactly. But the real question is why are you here? I thought you weren't scheduled to return 'til next week."

"Maybe she killed George for his life insurance," Nick suggested. "He's mysteriously absent."

"We came back a couple days early to set up up our home. Unlike some animals, who I won't name, we didn't move in together before marriage." She gave Judy a wink, reminding her she knew the two were married even if it was still a 'secret'. "Oh, and Readover suggested a pool – dumb crook of the week. We all throw in a cred and whoever has best story wins."

"Every detective would vote for his or her own case," Nick objected.

"I think the top couple would be obvious," argued Lylah, "then take a vote. But I need to get home and help George. Just wanted to come in and tell everyone how happy I am. Hope you and Judy make it official some day when they change the regulations to allow a married couple to serve as partners." She gave Judy another wink and left.

* * *

Eli David called on Friday to tell Nick, "We served a search warrant on Giles Green. Evidence is at Forensics for evaluation now. Hoping he made a couple stupid mistakes, won't know for sure until they're done with the testing."

"If he is... Hell, I think he is the killer, but he didn't make a lot of mistakes in framing Duke Weaselton. What did you get? What are you hoping Forensics will find?"

"Remember your question about whether the bullets that killed the victims matched the shell casings?"

"Yeah, but what–"

"Well, JJ did some research on Green. Apparently there's some kind of Who's Who of academics – where they got degrees, spouses, colleges where they've taught, hobbies, and stuff like that. Guess who came up as a gun collector?"

"A peccary who teaches at Zoo U?"

"Yep. Lot of testing to do at Forensics, but we hope he thought there'd be ballistics confusion since the gun that fired the shells for the casings won't match the gun that fired the bullets that did the killings. But we're hoping we can show the jury that he had both guns in his possession, much harder to defend."

"Maybe he tossed them both after the murders."

"A collector?"

"Doesn't toss."

"Right. And plenty of old ammunition. Pretty sure he had Matt Shells' laptop."

"That would be solid."

"Maybe not so much for the laptop. He denies it belongs to Shells, and if we prove it defense will argue that Shells left it there accidentally when talking with his adviser, and claim Green forgot it was Shells'. But what we really want is whatever Green used to cause the video distortion and open the lockers."

"You didn't find that?"

"Could have, we wouldn't recognize it if we saw it. But have some smart animals looking over some of the stuff we found, and are hoping to find details and the design on Shells' computer."

"You talk like you think Green is the killer."

"That's our opinion."

"So... What happens with Weaselton?"

"Ouch. Good point. Forgot about him while we worked the Green angle. I'll get the ball rolling on the weasel's release within the half hour."

"Thanks."

"Oh, and assuming Green is charged – and I'm pretty sure he will be – I'll make sure JJ gives you credit in the report."

"That isn't necessary."

"Yes it is. No one I know likes to admit a mistake. JJ is a good detective, but I think he's worse than average on confessing to errors. It'll do him good... Although he still may find away to avoid it."

Judy and Nick gathered evidence from a burglary and returned to the First.

"Will you type it up?" Nick requested, "I want to call the jail and see if Duke's been released yet."

"You have spent far too much time obsessing over Duke the last couple weeks. I'm jealous. Call. I hope he's out so you'll pay some attention to me."

Nick nuzzled her ears. "I'll pay you a lot of attention, tonight," he whispered.

"After dinner at the mansion," she reminded him.

Nick placed his call, "Has Duke Weaselton been released yet?"

"Let me... No."

"No? Why not? I was told the detective who–"

"Look, it takes almost as much paperwork to get someone out of jail as it does to put someone in."

"But they found the real killer!"

"No arrest yet. Doesn't matter, even if there was an arrest, until the paperwork is done – saying the charges have been dropped, he might be considered an accomplice."

"You don't really think that."

"No, but the paperwork has to be done."

"So how long until you can release–"

"Maybe an hour, if you get off the phone and let me do my job."

Nick hung up. "Jerk."

"I hope that's not directed at me."

"Sorry, my love, it was most definitely not aimed at you. Low level bureaucrat insisting on all t's being crossed and i's dotted before Duke can be let out of jail."

"He wasn't released immediately?"

"See, the problem is you're thinking logically. That would make sense. He's not cleared until all forms have been filled out in triplicate, notarized by sloths, and incorrectly filed. Then, if the calendar isn't too full, they can schedule his release within the month."

"Would you rather the jail simply released prisoners without checking to verify they are supposed to be released?"

"And there you go again, being logical. Where is the fighting spirit – the burning desire to upend the system? Judy Hopps, defending the status quo? Has the world gone mad?"

"You didn't answer the question, do you want the jail releasing prisoners without making sure they are supposed to be released?"

"No."

Judy smiled

"If you've spent a couple weeks in jail, but haven't committed any crime–" Judy coughed, and Nicked corrected it to, "You didn't commit the crime they arrested you for, every minute seems like a day."

"True enough. But hopefully they've told him that they're doing the paperwork for him."

"Good point. Maybe they forgot. I could call and... I could call and they'd tell me to drop dead. He told me an hour, I call back in an hour." Nick pushed back his chair and stood up. "Going in the see Alces."

"Need another assignment? I'm not through with this report."

"I figure the report will take forty-five minutes or so. I'm going to ask if we can pick up Duke and take him out to see his grandmother."

"You're working hard for Duke."

"He'll owe us one next time we ask for a tip. And it may get the old weasel off our backs."

"Two good points. Ask."

As they drove Duke to the Golden Fields Retirement Home he asked, "Sos, dey found da real killer?"

"Think so. Getting the evidence assembled for the arrest."

"How much did youse has to do wit' it?"

"Nick worked very hard for you," Judy assured him.

"Uh, tanks," the weasel said, not feeling comfortable with knowing that he owed the detectives. "Youse could not have gots me out sooner?"

"The animal who framed you did one heck of a job," Nick reminded him. "He was a genius. Takes a genius to frame Duke Weaselton."

"Yeah," the weasel smiled. "Yeah. Gots dat right."

The two detectives were unable to get into their apartment when they returned home in the evening.

"Oh, dear," Mrs. Riverbank apologized, "the delivery animals shouldn't have blocked your door like that. What is all of this?"

"Wedding presents I think," Judy answered.

"Dishes," added Nick.

The otter pointed to an especially large box to one side, "I don't believe they put dishes in anything that size."

Judy clapped her paws together with joy, "And a piano!"

"That's small for a–"

"An electronic piano. But it has a full keyboard."

"You play?"

"I don't, but Nick does."

"A little," corrected the fox.

They managed to get everything into the apartment, and open some of the boxes.

"These are... It's beautiful!" said Judy.

"And I think we're ready if you ever want to host a sit-down dinner for fifty people."

"There aren't that many place settings, are there?"

"I don't know. We haven't opened everything. We might find silverware and crystal if we keep looking. Help me get the piano out before we go."

"And this is where if I say the piano can wait, you tell me the dishes could have?"

"Exactly. We need to see it before it's time to dress."

"Why?"

"So we can say thank-you to Big and tell him it's wonderful."

"Okay, but be careful. I don't want you to hurt your back. I have plans for you after dinner."

"We could leave the piano in the box and turn them into before-dinner plans?"

"After dinner. Open box now. See piano. Get dressed in your tuxedo."

"The tux? Dagger didn't say formal."

"It's Big's mansion. You should assume formal."

"I never assume formal."

"Then it's a good thing we're married. A wife's duty, well, one of them anyway, is to see that her husband is dressed appropriately."

"And you wear the little black dress?"

"Absolutely. And you fasten the pearls around my neck as I tell you how much I love you, and feel like the luckiest female in the world to be married to you."

Nick put his arms around her, "I'm the luckiest male."

-The End-


End file.
